Of Facades and Sanctums
by TheImperfectionista
Summary: Years after being a social recluse and rebuilding family businesses, Draco Malfoy's ready to date again. If only witches would agree and see past his history. Now he has agreed to go on a date with a muggle, Jean. Would this help broaden his horizons? Meanwhile Hermione Granger has been working hard on reforming the Ministry of Magic. *non-epilogue compatible AU Dramione story* WIP
1. Tinder and Fire

WARNING: This story is filled with dirty sexual content, criticism for capitalism and feminism. If you don't want to read any of this or if this may offend you. You have been duly warned, and you still have the right to click the back button.

Also, JK Rowling owns Harry Potter's magical world. This story is a fan's homage to her creation.

June 2019: This chapter has been edited.

 **Chapter 1**

 **Tinder and Fire**

"My profile's complete, what's next Blaise?" Draco asked as he stared confusedly at the glass device in his hand. Blaise's idea of a present was this gold and black muggle magic mirror he called an iPhone. Blaise has shown him some essential functions, including a camera! But most importantly, a feature called Tinder.

"Mate, you will now see a picture of a woman who is nearby and looking for a hookup. If you like her, swipe right. If not, swipe left and if she's fit - swipe up which is called a super like. What are you doing?! She was sexy!"

Draco shrugged as his finger swiped left on a slender redhead. "Reminds me too much of the Weasleys."

After 10 minutes of Blaise and him discussing the virtues of each woman and swiping left, right and centre. Draco could see the novelty of this Muggle invention. It was only last week when after a few pints, he confessed to Blaise how hard it was to meet new witches who don't already have a preconceived notion about him. It made dating almost impossible, and Draco is ready to move on from the war. He has kept a hermit-like existence for nearly two years after the war and then slowly involved himself in the family businesses. Now that he has felt like he's a proven confident businessman at the age of 27. He's ready for someone special to share his life with.

In the past few weeks, he has received polite or even blatant rejections from various witches. It was disheartening to see that opinions haven't changed much. The idea to start dating muggles have opened up a pool of potential for him. While swiping, he saw the profile for "Jean", a civil servant, attractive, and she had a bright smile. He swipes right, and instantly, the screen changed. They matched!

"Good one Draco. Now you should message her."

"About what?" He was exhilarated but confused about what to do.

"Don't say hi or hello. It's boring, and you won't stand out."

"Ok, Casanova. What do you write? Talk about your dick?" He replied sarcastically.

Blaise was astounded. "Fuck no! Girls don't like dick pics anymore so you got to do it more subtly."

Draco raised his eyebrow. "Dick pic?"

"Yes, a picture of your dick. It's easier to take a picture with that phone you're holding than with a more traditional camera. But the point is if you want to start dating a muggle is - don't send them a picture of your dick!"

Draco was stunned at the ingenious way Muggles can express their sexuality, even without magic.

"Ok! No pictures of my glorious dick. What can I say?"

"Ask her about something."

"Fine. I'll send this." He crafts a message and allows Blaise to read it over his shoulder.

"Nice one! You can take her up the Shard after drinks." Draco hits send as he snorted at his friend's innuendo. This new form of dating certainly will bring something interesting to his life indeed!

* * *

In a large open office which she shares with over 50 witches and wizards at the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Hermione was working on a draft bill which was top secret and ambitious. Through the racket of scratching quills, the rustling of paper planes and murmurs of conversation, Hermione heard a distinct ping emitting from her handbag.

"You know McColl doesn't like it when we use phones at work Hermione." Said the homely looking witch Mrs Zaha Khan who sat opposite her desk.

"I know. I must have forgotten to turn it on silent." Hermione apologetically rummaged through her bag to grasp her phone to turn it to silent mode. But not before she saw two notifications. One was a tinder match and the other a message.

 _"Hey. Ever been to the Shard?"_

She grinned excitedly and put her phone away until her next break.

Mrs Khan peered at her over her gold rim glasses, her lips thinned which made her round chin even more pronounced.

"Good news I suppose."

"Yes, a friend."

Mrs Khan sniffed and continued with her work. Hermione looked down at the draft bill she was writing. It was ambitious and hopefully will improve the millions of Magical Creatures. She'll have to put the message to the back of her mind while she focuses on what's in front of her.

That same evening after work, Ginny popped over for weekly wine and gossip. Bitch and sip as she called it. Hermione explained the message she received on Tinder by a guy named "Orion". Ginny excitedly asked to see his profile.

"Oh Hermione! You must reply! He is rather dashing!"

Ginny didn't hesitate to press the reply button and started typing.

"Ginny! You're more eager than I am about this." Hermione poured out two glasses of Riesling from the bottle.

"It's because I'm with Harry already. If I weren't so happy, I'd be mingling with all these single men. But now I have to live through you vicariously."

It was a few weeks ago when Hermione reluctantly allowed Ginny to open a Tinder account on her phone.

It's not like she's sad about being single. Especially when she realised that it was better to be single than being incompatible with Ron. He didn't take it so well at the time, but it's all water under the bridge now. Nevertheless, she found that Tinder brought some anonymity. No reputation as a brilliant war heroine and nobody intimidated by her mind or assume they know her just because they've read Witches Weekly.

"What are you writing Ginny? You can't send anything without my approval."

"Only a short, sweet message. _' No, are you suggesting to take me up the Shard? Winking face.'_ "Ginny replied mischievously.

Hermione gasped at her friend's forthrightness. "You're making me sound like an absolute slut! You audacious flirt!"

Ginny could only chuckle in response. "He's responded almost instantly." She passed the phone back to Hermione, who was grateful for her friend can't send any dirtier messages to strangers.

 _"How about this Friday evening?"_ It read.

 _"Sounds good."_

 _"7 pm. London Bridge Station, Tooley Street exit."_

 _"See you then!"_ She wrote back.

He sent a smiley face, and Hermione's heart fluttered slightly at the prospect.

In the meantime, Ginny keenly waited for her attention to discuss the new date lined up. Hermione took a long sip out of her wine glass, bracing herself for an evening of interrogation.

* * *

Friday evening turned out to be warm,; the summer sun was still high in the sky as Hermione stood at the exit of the busy Underground station. She charmed her hair into a strawberry blonde pixie cut and added a mild disillusionment charm to herself where if you were to concentrate on looking at her, your eyes would blur, or feel compelled to look away or be confused.

She liked transforming herself into "Jean", her alter ego for dates. She wore a sleeveless black jumpsuit with a deep neckline and heeled wedges that were classy for the place she's about to go but also was still comfortable to wear all day at the office. She wore her favourite pair of Celtic knot gold earrings and a thin gold charm bracelet gifted to her by Harry, Ginny and Ron. There are charms to represent each of them. Glasses for Harry, a broom for Ginny, a chess piece for Ron and a book for Hermione. It's a sentimental piece of jewellery.

"Jean?" She whipped around and faced a tall man with short light brown hair with a side streak of silver blonde hair. Her heart skipped a beat as she studied his striking grey eyes under his tortoiseshell glasses. There was something familiar with him, but she wasn't sure why.

"Hi. You must be Orion. Nice to meet you." She offered her hand for a handshake. He took it and bent down to kiss it gently. It was unexpected which could explain the tingle she felt running down her spine.

"Shall we head to the Shard?" She nodded, and they walked intimately together to the imposing building of glass, which at times could look like it penetrated the sky from the ground.

"So how long have you lived in London?" He asked, breaking the ice. Hermione noticed his breath was fresh and he smelt of expensive smooth cologne with bergamot undertones.

"I've been here for about 8 years. How about yourself?"

"Only three years or so. I grew up in Wiltshire. Your profile says you're a civil servant. That's a rather broad job description."

"Says the man who describes himself as a businessman. What does that mean these days?" She quipped. He peered down at her from those tortoiseshell glasses and smirked. That smirk made her stomach flip, was it sexy or was it like deja vu?

"It means I'm a board member of several companies, mostly pharmaceuticals and trading of materials. What kind of civil service do you perform?"

"I work for the government in the department of agriculture." She replied smoothly as if it's not the first time she's had this kind of muggle small talk before.

"Oh, so do you spend a lot of time in the fields of cows and sheep?"

She chuckled, "I do fieldwork, but it's not always about cows and sheep." If only he knew what kind of animals she had actually encountered - dragons, gnomes, elves and whatnot.

* * *

Draco's initial impression of Jean was that she was an attractive woman with her own understated and chic sense of style. He noticed she had a great posture as they arrived at the entrance of the Shard. Her spine was a graceful arch that led to a pert arse which he admired in her attire. Something that would have been hidden behind robes if she was a witch. Which Draco was relieved to remind himself - she wasn't. He led her straight to the elevator and pressed the button for the 53rd floor. "Tell me, Jean, are you afraid of heights?"

"If I said yes, it's kind of too late now." She retorted. He chuckled at her comeback, she has a sense of humour too.

"Well, if it worries you, we don't have to sit too close to the windows."

"It's fine, I just prefer not to be leaning over a window or looking down. And I'll be the last person to try sky-diving."

"Oh, that's too bad. I was thinking about jumping off the top of this building with you." He joked.

Jean raised a perfect eyebrow at his surprising comment. "You base-jump?"

Draco couldn't help but smirk at his attractive date next to him. "I guess, sometimes it feels like I'm floating, suspended in the air." If only she knew of his love for broomsticks and Quidditch.

"Do you mind if I ask where you go for skydiving?" Her chocolate eyes twinkled with curiosity. Draco couldn't help but felt like they look familiar, but whenever he looked at her, he can't help but seem compelled to avert his gaze. Sometimes his eyes moved to the tantalising peak of her cleavage or the creamy arch of her neck. Perhaps it's his nerves or lust.

"I skydived a lot in Wiltshire around my home, sometimes around the country - like Scotland."

"Oh, I love Scotland. I spent a few years living there for school." Draco couldn't help but almost comment. What a coincidence! Before he could respond, the elevator opened to a splendid bar with plush grey carpets and brown plush seating. The place was bathed with the amber glow of a setting sun.

"Good evening. Welcome to Gong. Do you have a reservation?"

Draco walked up to the hostess. "I have a reservation under the name of Orion." The hostess led them through the bar, giving Jean a full view of London during a summer sunset. As they rounded a corner, the plush grey carpet gave way to sweeping marble, and an infinity pool proudly placed right next to the window. Lilies and candles floated in the pool and lanterns were placed around it.

"Please seat yourselves anywhere you desire. Your waiter will be over shortly to take your drinks order." Then the hostess left them standing in the sky pool room. Draco shifted his weight nervously as his date awed at their surroundings. They slid onto a white leather chaise lounge next to the pool, and a waiter came in to take their order.

Draco didn't hesitate with ordering.

"A bottle of the Bollinger Grande Annee, please. Are you feeling hungry?" Jean nodded her head, and Draco noticed the light naturally fell on the Cupid's bow of her lips.

"Can we also get the sashimi platter, prawn rolls, and caviar." The waiter nodded and promptly left them alone in the sumptuous bar. Draco observed that Jean looked tense and her lips were drawn into a thin line. Had he made her feel uncomfortable?

"I'm sorry Orion, but is this how you usually plan a first date?" She asked.

"Actually this is the first time in a long time I've taken out a lady on a first date. So excuse me if I'm not sure what's normal." His chest puffed up a bit in self-defence.

"Well usually, I've been to more informal places, so you've really gone all out with this one." She waved her hands around the room, her bracelet glistened in the candlelight. "This is all rather ostentatious for an average person." He understood her implication, it's not normal unless you were very wealthy.

"But I do appreciate the view, I've thought about coming up here for ages. It's nice to finally come and see for myself." She smiled at him which led him to feel his heart beat a little faster. He tried to calm himself down, this is only a first date. Draco got the feeling that although Jean talks honestly, she wasn't inconsiderate to others' feelings. It was like a breath of fresh air.

"So tell me, why did you choose to be a civil servant and why in the department of agriculture?"

He noticed how Jean straightened up, her collarbone more pronounced and alluring. "As a contributing citizen, it's part of my duty and the government's duty to protect the welfare and economic health of animals. I believe the government's role in protecting the vulnerable and holding individuals - as well as organisations - morally accountable."

Oh no. A socialist. An attractive socialist, his sub-conscious pointed out. However, his mouth started speaking before he could hold his tongue.

"I must say I disagree. As a species, we have allowed our society to thrive through the survival & preservation of the fittest. People shouldn't rely on bureaucratic governments to solve every one of their problems. They should be contributing to getting jobs to self-sustain themselves and work within organisations to set ethical standards. To self-regulate and innovate."

Oh crap. This date might end sooner than Draco had hoped. Jean, for a moment, looked infuriated, but her expression changed to one of determination before she responded to him. "Well, it's ok for you to say. However, many people aren't fortunate to live with such wealth. Organisations like yours are there to look after the pockets of corporate fat cats."

He was dismayed and feeling defensive of being accused by someone who barely knows him.

"Are you calling me a corporate fat cat? I'll have you know that my companies donate significant sums to various charities and we have rigid corporate social responsibility policies in place to ensure that my companies are working to be more ethical and socially responsible. Ever since I have taken the helm of my companies, I'm doing my damn hardest to lead the way on social enterprise and even turning around the bad reputations of some of them, which is no small feat." True, his family has profited a lot over generations of trading in all sorts of wizarding goods - legal and not so legal. But it has been Draco's mission since the war to rebuild his family name.

"Well if you line your pockets through the suffering of the masses & regardless of whether you give money to charities to reduce your guilt - then yes you would be a corporate fat cat."

Draco felt she hit a bit too close to the bone. The relieving of guilt and regrets from the war is never far from his mind. He stared at Jean and realised that her mouth wasn't just perfectly formed but could also dismantle his career for precisely what it was. How could she, when she has only just met him? He suddenly wanted to change the subject and not sour the rest of their evening.

"I find that a bit insulting that you would call me fat."

She giggled at his self-deprecating joke. This was most unlike any first date, he liked that she didn't hold back on her opinions but was up for a good debate. Very mentally stimulating.

"Well, a toast to all the unfortunate corporate and obese cats who meet your scorn." He proposed with his glass.

Jean lifted her glass and drank. And drank they did. In fact, it wasn't just a bottle of champagne but two bottles. By then "Jean" and "Orion" have discussed almost everything from their passion for the gore of Euripides' Greek tragedies to their pets and much more.

The bar became louder as the night went on, so Draco thought as he scooted closer to hear Jean's dulcet voice. She smelt incredibly tantalising - spiced like cardamom and vanilla. A delectable date indeed.

* * *

A waiter came to refill their glasses with what's left in the bottle. "Sir, would you like some more champagne?" Hermione blinked and realised she was somewhat lightheaded from all the champagne. Or was it from the fantastic time she spent with Orion? She felt that regardless of the immense pull she felt to him, they were different people. Perhaps they won't work out in the long term but why deny herself some fun - just for tonight.

"I think I've had more than enough for this evening, but I wouldn't mind if we continued our conversation elsewhere." She suggested, hopeful he would take the hint.

"I live nearby if you want to continue the evening at my place? But if you don't want to, we can find somewhere else to go." He offered her a choice, very gentlemanly.

Hermione felt brave and placed her hand on one of his big warm hands.

"Your place sounds great." Her core stirred as she sealed her fate for the night.

Orion didn't hesitate with getting the bill and payed for the entire evening. She couldn't help but noticed as he fetched their jackets that his shirt and suit trousers were well-cut to compliment his lean build. Did he exercise regularly? And imagined his arms straining as he lifted weights. She had to blink twice to stop her very distracting thoughts.

His place was a converted dock warehouse with a view of the Thames and the bar they were in earlier. Hermione noticed his place was furnished with mostly a mix of antiques and modern classics in dark woods and jewel tone colours like emerald green and sumptuous sapphire.

"Can I offer something to drink? Spirits? Water?" He asked as he turned around from his Art Deco mini bar.

She placed her purse down on the coffee table and strode up to Orion. His grey eyes turned darker as she brushed his arms and leant in to drop a soft kiss on his lips.

* * *

Draco leant back, a little surprised by her forthrightness. He could feel his nervousness bubbling up in his stomach.

"Um... " He wanted to mentally kick himself, for hesitating like a schoolboy. He just met this woman only a few hours ago!

Jean gave him a burning look with her chocolate eyes. "We're both adults here, and I'm consenting to whatever we are going to do. Are you up for it?" Draco's cock twitched. Muggles were definitely more forward indeed! Especially the one in front of him.

His hands wrapped around her waist and pulled Jean in for a smouldering kiss. She tasted of the champagne, cardamom and something sweet. Her hands came up and dug into his hair. Massaging his neck and scalp. Oh Merlin! What other things can she do with her fingers?!

In the back of his mind, he thought of the thrill this was. He's kissing a muggle! A smart, beautiful muggle who didn't know his past. Her moans are making his cock harder by the second and the weirdest part was he didn't mind not one bit. Draco shuffled them to his bedroom as they manically touched and tore clothes off each other. Draco picked her up by the waist and threw her onto his large bed. She yelped in a cute surprise and looked hungrily at him while still wearing her black lacy bra and a black thong.

He stood there and took in what a vision Jean was in his bed. He took off his steamed-up glasses slowly so that he can see her better. His eyes drank her in from those sweeping collarbones, her plump lips, the curve of her hips and the apex of his desires. Slowly his thumbs dug into his fitted boxers and released himself out of them. From the small gasp, Jean let pass her lips, he knew she found him desirable. He wanted her to want him as much as he did for her.

The saucy vixen in his bed twisted over until she was on all fours and reaching for him. Her slender fingers grasped around his cock firmly which if not for his will power may have allowed his knees to buckle. Draco laced his fingers through her fluffy strawberry blonde hair, while she leaned in and swallowed his cock in her warm mouth. At that moment, all he could do was groan as he watched this woman hungrily devour him like dessert, his eyes wandered down her arched spine and over her peachy arse.

He wanted to fuck her intensely and the way she sucked and licked him will make him explode soon. He pulls himself out of her sweet mouth and holds her shoulders.

"Lie back." He growls.

He dropped to his knees so he can kiss her again. Trailing kisses across her cheek, her ear, and graceful neck. Jean sighs to his kisses as his thumb flickers over her sensitive nipples over her lacy bra.

There's no doubt that Draco had lost himself into their kisses and embrace. So absorbed in the searing heat between them he wasn't conscious that they had both found themselves comfortably on his bed.

Her collarbone which had been asking for his attention all evening were lavished with fluttering kisses that had the woman shivering in his arms.

"I need to take off my bra." She whimpered. His hand swept around her and flicked it off in one go. With his teeth, he grazed down her chest and tugged the bra off with his teeth.

Her nipples harden even more in the cool air. He marvels how her breasts are firm and topped with dark pink perfect nipples. The flat of his tongue lapped at the curvature of her breasts. The cooing sounds she emitted was melodic to his ears. His hand held her hips tightly as she tried to grind her wet heat against his cock. He fully intended to torture her slowly with pleasure until she's begging for him.

Finally, he put a nipple in his mouth and sucked, nibbled it. The whimpering became shrieks of wanton desire. Slowly he pulled her thong down as his lips trailed after it. Until his tongue could fully lick her wet core, already hot and wanting for him. He tasted her with reckless abandon; sucking and licking. Her thighs squeezed his shoulders until it hurt as Jean squealed with delight. His fingers could feel her squeeze and tighten as she's about to orgasm. He curled his fingers and with a cry of a banshee, Jean shuddered over the brink of sanity. Slowly her orgasm faded and he flipped them over as Jean shifted her legs to straddle him.

"Do whatever you want with me." He growled. His cock was purple with need. She grasped his cock again and guided him into her. The woman was a vision, a powerful goddess claiming his cock as a sacrifice. Slowly taking every inch of him into her tight channel. He hissed as she rose up and sank back down harshly as he hit the back of her pussy.

Gradually they built a steady rhythm, which synchopated to his beating heart. There was nothing more Draco could do than grip her hips like his life depended on it, her pert tits bounced over his face and Draco tried to meet each thrust until he could feel her spasm over the edge.

"Oh! I think I'm going to come again." Jean cried in a breathy moan. Her lips were panted with effort and pleasure.

"Then come. Come all over my cock." He pleaded, he wasn't sure how much longer he can withstand it. His hands reached up to a nipple and pinched and tugged it hard. She screamed as he felt her walls clutched his cock with a death grip of her orgasm. Draco fell back into the all encompassing orgasm. The intensity of which had him involuntarily convulse in rippling tingles that crashed into his intermittently like waves on a shore.

Draco wrapped his arm around Jean as she collapsed on top of him, the two of them breathless, clammy and exhausted. Eventually they shifted until she was cradled into his body. Each closing their eyes for a few seconds to rest.

* * *

It was dark when Hermione woke up feeling far too warm and dizzy. She brushed her long frizzy hair out of her face and felt the full contact of her bare skin against someone else. Wait… why was she naked with another person in bed?

She opened her eyes and through the streetlight from the window, she saw an unfamiliar room. Twisting herself around and admired the chiselled face of the man she spent most of her evening with. Orion was his name, and Merlin was he handsome. He rolled over which gave her another opportunity to marvel at his lean body. Memories of the evening started to replay in her mind, the conversations, the pleasure, her short hair. Short hair?

Hermione's hand went up to her manic long tresses; panic kicked in as she realised her charms have worn off.

She quietly slipped out of bed and crawled out of the bedroom. Her hands grabbed items of clothing along the way to the living room where she could fetch her wand from her handbag. Casted a silencing spell around her and accio'd the rest of her clothes. As she managed to awkwardly cover her naked self with her jumpsuit, even forgoing her underwear or zipping it up at the back, she walked straight out of the front door. Once she had given the corridor a quick scan for any people, Hermione apparated to her own flat. This was possibly the fastest she has ever left a man's bed. Or any bed for that record.

Back in her own flat, she dumped her shoes, clothes and handbag on the sofa, stripped and crawled into her cold unoccupied bed. She knew she should sleep. But adrenaline still coursed through her from her quick escape and she can't help but reminisce about her evening with Orion. When his fingers or lips touched her skin, it was like… magic. She shook her head at such a silly notion, maybe she's actually still drunk. She accio'd a hangover potion and a bottle of water to put on her bedside table. She'll need both in a few hours.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading this. I had to repost it again because I had formatting issues. It's been a while since I've written something for the internet to read.**

 **Thanks again!**


	2. Messages and Proposals

**Chapter 2**

 **Messages and Proposals**

Draco looked up from his paperwork as his friend Blaise sauntered into his office.

"Let's get some lunch." He stated.

"Didn't your mum teach you any manners?" Draco said as he closed his file organiser for the morning.

"I'll have you know my mother taught me a great deal of things, as well as impeccable manners. It's just that you don't deserve them for leaving me in the dark about your Friday evening."

They went to the members' club they frequented. An exclusive wizards club that only allows 50 members on their books at any time. They were served by silent house elves dressed in pristine starch-pressed black pillowcases. Blaise ordered white truffle and langoustine tortellini and Draco had beef Wellington. The food was served almost instantly and they started to eat in silence.

"What are the normal protocol after the first date with muggles?" Draco asked before eating a tender piece of beef.

"Well my friend, depends on what happened on the first date." Blaise took a sip of his white wine - perfectly paired with the langoustine and truffles. The sly fellow knew that his mate won't get any advice without spilling some beans.

"Perhaps the first date went very well and one might want to see her again." Draco tried to keep most of the details out of the conversation. You never know who may overhear in the club.

"It's very simple; you message them." Draco heard all he needed to know for lunch.

* * *

That evening Draco took out his iPhone and started to type out a message to Jean. _"Did you have a good weekend?"_

He deleted it, it sounded too polite. Maybe he'll try something else.

 _"_ _My pillow still has traces of your perfume on it."_ Instantly deleted, it was too creepy.

Draco sat there and mulled over what he wanted to say over a glass of fire whiskey. Eventually he typed something that was the best he could come up with. _"_ _As I walked past the Shard today, I thought of you. How are you?"_

He hit the send button. It was gone.

There's not much for him to do now except to finish his drink and wait.

* * *

Hermione was cooking perfect dauphinoise potatoes with magic when her phone pinged. She glanced down at the screen and read the message from Orion. Her heart skipped a beat.

 _"_ _Nice to hear from you again. I'm making myself dinner right now, but otherwise I'm feeling a lot better than I did on Saturday."_ She replied.

 _"_ _Did you have a hangover? I didn't have a great start to a weekend."_

 _"_ _How come?"_

 _"_ _Not being given the opportunity to wake up and say goodbye to you properly. I would have made you breakfast."_ He's very charming, she thought.

 _"_ _I'm sorry. I now wish I stayed just to sample your breakfast. Talk me through what I missed out on."_

 _"_ _First, I would have kissed you from head to toe..."_ She gasped at his idea.

 _"_ _After I've had my fill of kissing you, I would have made you a cup of tea or coffee in bed."_

 _"_ _Then served you a delicious healthy breakfast of soft boiled eggs, avocado and toast."_

 _"_ _It all sounds very yummy but I can't tell whether you're a trendy eater or not great at cooking."_ She replied, trying to tamper down her excitement at the flirtier message before.

 _"_ _How about a bit of both. Yet, I'm proud to say I'm an excellent eater of fine foods."_

She could see him typing so she waited for his message. Her heart raced in anticipation.

 _"_ _The most delicious thing I've eaten recently was the delicacy I enjoyed in my bed on Friday evening."_ Hermione could feel a heat spreading from within. The dinner she prepared was abandoned as she took her phone to her bedroom and continued to message Orion for the rest of the evening.

* * *

Over the next few days Hermione has learnt a great deal about Orion. Like why his parents named him after the constellation, his past travels and also how much she really liked him. It unnerved her a little just how much she liked this tall arrogant man she has met once. He didn't always agree with her but he did put up a good debate which challenged her.

However right now she had no time to check her phone as she was in an important meeting with the Head of Magical Creatures, Constance McColl; the Head of Magical Transportation, Falcon Richardson and the Ministry of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt. She sent her final proposal last week and was instantly given a time for a meeting to discuss it. In the 5 years, she has been in the department, it's the first time her work has been acknowledged. She spent those 5 years fighting for house elves' rights but met great resistance. Last year whilst getting very drunk with Ginny did they discuss her doubts about her career. It was Ginny who suggested to take a new approach in her job to make one last attempt at it.

Hermione thought of this as her baby, she can't bear to think what she would do next if they reject her proposal. She shook her head, she was the brightest witch of her generation and whatever she prepares for - she only prepares to succeed!

"Miss Granger," said Kingsley. "This is quite a proposal you have placed before us. So we are going to cut through the chase. Could you brief us on what is the goal for this and why the Ministry should spend precious resources on it?"

They looked at her intently with expectant eyes. Hermione took a deep breath and said what she has practiced in front of her mirror this morning.

"This is a proposal that would require the liaison between various departments, such as the Magical Creatures, Transportation and possibly Magical Enforcement. The goal is to make investments in building or modernising British sanctuaries to provide safe habitat for certain species and to become a tourist destination for international and domestic wizards and witches." She took a breath before she continued.

"As the Ministry is in a period of austerity, especially after the costly redevelopment from war's aftermath. It's time for the Ministry to replenish the vaults. I propose this solution as a means to attract overseas income and establish this Ministry as the global leader in the protection of magical creatures."

"The documents in front of you has a more detailed plan with one year, 5, 10 and 20 year projections. As well as budgets, regulation guidelines and potential marketing strategies.

I'll be happy to answer any of your questions."

"Well, Miss Granger. This is all rather ambitious and exciting." Falcon Richardson scratches his bald head as he figures out how to put his words politely. "But I'm baffled by how you would expect the somewhat limited resources at the Transportation department to help with taking possibly thousands of witches and wizards to these sanctuaries undetected by muggles!"

Hermione has prepared for this line of objections and had an answer already. "If I remember correctly, Mr Richardson. You were working in the department during the Quidditch World Cup while Britain hosted the game."

Richardson puffed up with pride in his scarlet robes. "That is quite right I did."

"I had thought; the department had operated transportation for that event with superb smoothness. Surely the talent required in organising that kind of logistics, can handle the addition to a few more regular destinations?" She wanted to butter him up.

"Well in that case, I'm sure my very capable team can sort something out. No objections from me."

"Very well Richardson. I've received a memo from magical enforcement and they are still undecided. St Mungo is also undecided whether they can commit to a health and safety policy." Kingsley ticked off his list of agenda.

"I understand that there will be uncertainty with this project as this has never been attempted in Britain before. However, if I can get permission, I'd like to bring back research and case studies from different locations where the government there have established tourism policies for their sanctuaries. That way, I hope I can ease everyone's concerns on how it can be done and how we can do it better." Hermione proposed, she kept this back from the written proposal as a bargaining chip.

The three men thought about it, leaving Hermione in anxious suspense. Finally, her boss McColl spoke. "Personally I think the department is thinly stretched and the last fiscal budget has forced my department to tighten its belt." Hermione's heart began to sink.

"But if Miss Granger is willing to make these research trips on the weekends in her own time and stick to a small budget. I'll happily allow her to gather the necessary evidence."

Hermione stares at her usually quiet and disgruntled boss. He has never really complimented her and was normally indifferent. Not to be outdone, Richardson also contributed. "In that case, I can authorise any portkeys to an approved list of destinations."

"Well then Miss Granger. We'll meet again with you in six weeks to hear your results. Is there anything else you want to add?" Asked Kingsley.

Hermione couldn't believe her luck; she was expecting more resistance than this. "There is one more thing we can do; it might be prudent for the Ministry to gain corporate sponsorship to foot some of the costs. If the chancellor or the Minister of Magical Enterprises would like to suggest any potential sponsors while the research is being carried out, then we wouldn't have to waste any time."

"Alright Miss Granger. I'll speak to Campbell about it."

"Thank you for your time gentlemen. I hope to bring you something to get excited about." She shook everyone's hand, except for McColl. Who had a strict no touching policy. Then she left the office to walk back to her desk.

As soon as she rounded the corner, she jumped with joy. She was so happy, she practically ran down the corridors to her desk and share the good news. She almost made it before she abruptly ran into a tall dark pillar.

"Oh Merlin. Watch where you're going!" Strong hands gripped her shoulders and held her close. He smelled good, like bergamot.

She wanted to apologise until she looked up into the recognisable face of Draco Malfoy. His eyes glared at her and his hands pushed her away like he just realised he was holding shit.

"Sorry Malfoy." She apologised. Her mood has deflated like a lead balloon. Even though she knows that the war is behind them, they're not friends.

* * *

Draco thought it was just his luck for Granger to run straight into him.

Her hair was bushy as ever, and he got a face full of it. Like cardamom, vanilla and honey. He glared at her and tried to contain the stirring he categorised as dislike for this know-it-all.

"What are you doing in the Ministry, Malfoy?" She accused him. How dare she talk to him like so.

"I'm here on official business, like it's any of your concerns Granger. I'm going to be late for my meeting, so excuse me." He sidestepped her and strode off. He didn't need to be interrogated by her, as if he's on trial again.

Besides he's got a business to run and one which needs some Ministry endorsement. Now that he's working to publicly change his family's name and fortunes - he has seen Granger with Potter and Weasel at different events, usually at a distance.

Nonetheless, when she looked up at him before she knew it was him, there was something familiar about her face that he couldn't quite put his finger on. He thought nothing much about it afterwards, it was only Granger in the end.

* * *

Later that evening, Draco checked his phone and found Jean has messaged him. Excitedly he opened it to read.

 _"_ _I'm going to be away for the next few weeks for work. I'm sorry but I won't be able to continue messaging you like this. It was nice getting to know you and I wish you all the best."_

Draco threw his phone across the room and poured himself a glass of fire whiskey. It was chased down with some soda and a second shot of fire whiskey. He felt furious, how could a muggle break it off with him? How dare she!

He sipped some more fire whiskey. The burn at the back of his throat spurred his anger. It's not like he cared about her. It didn't occur to him this was going to be serious anyway. He said these things to himself, whether he thought they were true or as self-comfort – he wasn't going to investigate the motivation. Draco poured himself another glass and threw some floo powder into his fireplace. He's going out drinking.

* * *

 **Thank you everyone who has read chapter 1 and now 2. Extra thanks to all those who reviewed and started to follow my little story.**

 **I'd love to hear what you think about this and where you think this is going, so please review!**


	3. Kappa and Onsen

June 2019: This was updated.

 **Chapter 3**

 **Kappa and Onsen**

Hermione had spent a fascinating day at the Kappa sanctuary with the Japanese Minister of Magical Tourism, a newly formed department in the Magical Diet of Japan. This is the fourth weekend she had spent traveling to inspect different international sanctuaries. She was there to see how the Japanese Diet managed to keep visitors safe from the demons' magic and also capitalise their earning potential. It turned out that the Japanese community enjoyed having a star water demon and a well-executed gift shop with all sorts of souvenirs. After a long day, she flopped down onto her short bed in a hostel and turned on her phone.

She sent a few messages to Ginny and her boss to let them know she was safe and unharmed by blood-thirsty Kappa's. She opens Tinder out of boredom, swiping through a few local profiles until the familiar picture of a tall handsome man with a streak of silver hair popped up. Hermione browsed through the profile, this was the same Orion she went on a date with many weeks ago. What was he doing in Japan? She couldn't help herself as she started to message him. _"Aren't you a bit far from home right now?"_

The message sent, she wasn't sure if he would respond. She won't blame him after she told him she won't be contacting him again because of work excuses, which is the truth of it! Meanwhile, there's not much she can do but wait and see.

* * *

Draco is on a productive business trip to meet with potential new business partners in Tokyo. He's grateful that while most people look oppressed in the September humidity, he had cooling charms to keep him looking his best with his potential new clients. Today he had met with the President of Shiro Tsuru, the country's oldest magical hotel company. It was a long meeting, where he drank a lot of green tea and bowed a lot.

He heard a distinct ping from his robe pockets. Now that he's used to carrying his muggle device, it was hard to leave it behind in Britain. He pulled it out to read the message. He stopped in his tracks as he couldn't believe it was Jean who messaged him. Should he ignore it, especially after she dropped him so suddenly? He knew he should feel angry but he felt almost excited. Someone walked straight into him from behind and so Draco stood to the side of the pavement as he typed out a brisk message.

 _"I'm on a business trip. Do I want to know why you're also in Japan?"_ He sent it and he saw she was responding back instantly so he waited.

 _"I'm strictly for business. Not much time for sightseeing. Even if I did, I don't really have much company to share it with."_ What was she suggesting?

 _"Perhaps we should arrange for a business meeting tonight."_ He typed that out before he really thought it through. Should he really be inviting her to meet up?

 _"Sure. 7pm. Shinjuku station, South exit."_ Draco couldn't believe that she wanted to see him again. Maybe she was truthful about work and a rational person. He guessed he could get answers from her when they meet.

 _"See you then."_ He confirmed. He looked at the time and realised he had an hour to get ready before meeting her. He tucked away his phone and hurried to his hotel to change, put on a glamour charm, hide the hideous mark on his left arm and wear those reading glasses he had. It was time to be Orion again.

* * *

Draco weaved through the throng of people to one of the largest and busiest train stations in the world. Even though he had been to Kings Cross station many times as a child, it all seemed like a quaint village station when compared to Shinjuku station, Tokyo. He started to worry as he's now late and he's already been to the East and North exits. The station employees were very polite but not helpful when things got lost in translation. He slowly manoeuvred around the huge pedestrian crossing to get to the South exit. It was easy to spot Jean's strawberry blond hair in the crowd of midnight black heads. He almost forgot how sexy she was until he saw her. She stood like a statuette in a light summer dress, her lovely neck twisted this way and that - searching for him. Eventually she spotted him striding towards her. Her smile was wide and bright as she opened her arms wide to embrace him. He swallowed hard as he felt her breasts pressed against him in the hug, even when most people would have sweated heavily, she still smelt lovely of cardamom and vanilla.

"It's nice to see you again." She said, still smiling brightly at him.

"You too." He mumbled, whatever he originally wanted to say was forgotten. "Where shall we go?" He couldn't think of anything else to ask her.

"I've done some research and there's supposed to be a small district of eateries near here." He nodded and allowed her to take his hand while she led them through the masses away from the station. They didn't go far before she turned down the narrowest alleyway he's ever been down. The dark grey walls and overhead air-conditioning units squeezed him from the sides and above. He felt uneasy as it didn't seem like they were heading anywhere but a dead end. Jean turned right at a previously unseen junction in the alley. Suddenly Draco saw rows of little shops with red lanterns over their doorways. The soft rumble of conversations and wafts of cooked food drifted towards him.

"Thank god. I thought you were going to take me down an alleyway to murder me." He joked. Jean laughed and guided him through.

Draco was fascinated, he's never seen so many restaurants in such a confined space. Some were full of men in black suits laughing and drinking pints of beer. Others were quiet, the counter empty and the chef diligently minding over a charcoal grill that's no larger than a vanity case. They eventually went into a random restaurant where there's only 6 stools facing a bar. An old Japanese lady with her hair wrapped in a large blue bandana was meticulously grilling skewers of meat on one of those charcoal grills. She greeted them cheerfully as they sat down on the two remaining stools. Draco glanced at the other patrons, two were business men in black muggle suits and white shirts, preoccupied with their phones as they washed down their beers. The other two were a young Japanese couple, both dressed in what Draco assumed to be muggle street clothing in the trendiest fashions.

The old lady thrusted a menu in front of him and Draco was stumped. The menus were in Japanese, although they looked more like squiggles and scratchings to him!

"Orion, do you know any Japanese?" Jean asked him and he shook his head. "If it's ok with you, I can order for the both of us." She suggested, Draco trusts she has done her research already and let her proceed.

She raised her hand sharply and started to speak to the elderly proprietor slowly in Japanese. The lady nodded and responded before bowing deeply and started throwing all sorts of meat onto her little grill. Then she bent down to produce two tankards of beer.

"I wasn't aware you spoke Japanese." Draco commented. Jean was full of surprises.

"I enjoy learning languages and learning in general." She said as if it's not a big thing.

"What other languages do you know?"

"French, Japanese and currently learning Arabic. You?"

Draco smirked as he replied. "Pardon mademoiselle, je parley seulement Français."

"Oh vraiment? à quelle fréquence parlez-vous Français?" She asked him. The minx, he thought. she was testing him.

"Occasionally. My family ancestors were from France."

"Oh the joys of belonging to aristocracy. I'd say cheers but while we're in Japan, we'll say Kan-pai!" She lifted her glass of beer and Draco toasted with her before drinking some of his light cool beer.

Two skewers were placed before them. The meat looked tender and coated in a salivating dark sauce. It looked delicious. Draco took a big bite from one of the skewers and the first thing he noticed was the unavoidable metallic flavour.

"Fuck! What is that?!" It was absolutely disgusting, and he wanted to spit it out if it weren't rude.

"It's chicken liver. Are you not a fan?" Jean asked innocently as he washed the flavour away with his beer.

"It's definitely not to my taste."

"Well I'll ask for something else."

"You can order anything else as long as it's not god damn chicken liver!" He begged.

She smiled and let out the most adorable giggle. He was captivated, even though it was at his expense.

The rest of the food that came along were more conventional cuts of meat, and cooked to perfect tenderness. The beer was light and refreshing. Before long, they've each washed down three pints each. The feeling Draco had since seeing her kept gnawing at him, until he had to get it off his chest.

"I have to be honest here, I was disappointed you didn't want to see me again after our first date." He said, the atmosphere between them became more serious.

"I'm sorry, I was being honest about work. I've been travelling every weekend and apart from work, I've not been able to do much more." She held his hand as she looked sincerely at him, her full lips drawn into a thin line of worry. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

He gulped, not trusting himself to speak. He thought of the spark of anger that was in his chest for so many weeks, but it ebbed away when her chocolate eyes looked at him so pleadingly. Maybe he can find it within himself to forgive and forget.

"So where did you go gallivanting these past few weeks?" Her lips curled slightly at his question, it was his way to show he can forgive. She told him about her trip to China and seeing all the pandas. Got him on tenterhooks with her near-death experience inside the pyramids of Egypt and wowed him with her portrayal of the Arizonian landscapes. He noted that she was passionate about her work, her voice was animated and her smile became unrestrained.

* * *

It started off as a few droplets, but the rain began to pour outside. The drumming of raindrops echoed on tin roofs and thin doors. Hermione worried about how she was going to get back to her hostel. Dinner was delicious and the beers were making her lightheaded. Orion sat intimately close, where she can smell his cologne again and stare longingly at his intense silver eyes.

She frowned as she looked out onto the alleyway, trying to figure out how to get back. Orion's head turned around and followed her gaze to the unrelenting rain.

"My hotel is near the station; you can take a taxi from there if you like." He invited her back to his, again. She knew she shouldn't really but his hand reached out to hold hers and she so didn't want the evening to end.

"Sure, I'll get the bill." She gestured to the Japanese lady and they paid up before braving the elements.

They dashed through the alleyway trying to hop between canopies. Eventually they reached the main station and Orion held her hand tightly as he guided her from one store canopy to the next. Before they knew it they were soaked from the rain. Hermione wished she had brought an umbrella or a waterproof jacket with her. The summer dress she wore was completely inadequate and probably left little to the imagination from being so sheer when wet. They ended up at the porch of a discreet wooden door set in a high concrete wall. The only indication it could be a hotel was a large paper lamp casting light over the door. He slid the door open and they walked through what Hermione could imagine to be a carefully designed garden towards the most beautiful traditional Japanese inn she has ever seen.

"Oh! I wanted to stay in one of these but government employees are on a tight budget, so I'm staying in a hostel right now." She cooed as they were taking their shoes off just inside the main door.

"Well, lucky we bumped into each other then." Orion retorted. They tucked their shoes in the cupboard next to the entrance and hurriedly walked through corridors which faced a circular garden. It was a shame it was dark, Hermione thought. She would have loved to have seen this picturesque ideal of tranquillity. Soon they went upstairs and arrived at the end of the corridor to the last door. A gold key was produced from Orion's pocket and he unlocked the sliding door.

The room was decorated simply, matching doors probably hid a closet and bathroom behind it. A cypress coffee table with two floor cushions were placed to the side of the room. There was a thick futon bed in the middle of a tatami floor, laid out ready for sleeping. Large windows faced a balcony with a large cedar bath tub. Hot misty water continually flowed from a wooden spout into the tub, keeping the tub with perpetual warm water.

"Oh my goodness. This is palatial compared to where I'm staying." Hermione walked straight out to the balcony and admired the warm inviting tub. A sharp breeze blew through her, causing her to shiver in her wet dress.

"You're soaked, perhaps you would like to warm up in the hot spring?" Hermione could feel a blush spread across her face, that did sound inviting. "It would be silly to come all the way to Japan and not try out one of their famous baths, right?" He added. She really did want to enjoy the bath but did she want to enjoy it with Orion?

"If you would like, I can leave the room, while you enjoy it." Hermione turned to look at Orion, his grey eyes darkened. His heated gaze made her feel warmer by the second. She took his hand and guided him towards the balcony.

The tempo of the flurry of kisses and discarding clothing matched that of the torrential patter of the rain. Hermione's skin was set on fire wherever his lips and his fingers touched her. They are both very far from home, and she hasn't had intimate contact like this since… their first date. While the timing is right, she wanted him now.

The rhythm changed as they took their time with each other once they were in the tub. Hermione loved how Orion could make her heady with need with the softest of caresses and wild when he thrusted into her deeply. The combination of the hot water and sex made them both sweaty, she wiped Orion's damp forehead as he continued to drive into her at an amplified pace. Hermione thought she could burst from combustion, she gave a guttural scream as she went over the edge and Orion sealed her scream with his lips as he came shortly after.

"Jean."

"Yes?" She could feel his heart pounding against her in their proximity.

"I'd like to see you again. Properly at home next time." Hermione thought she stopped breathing for a moment. She has thought about what she wanted, she wants her career and eventually find someone she wants to be with and much later have children with them.

Is Orion someone she wants to invest her time with? How will he handle the fact that she's a witch? Will he accept her or eventually leave her with a broken heart?

* * *

The silence dragged on. Too much unsaid and filled with uncertainty. Draco was beginning to lose his nerve. In the spur of the moment, he laid himself bare to her.

"I should get dressed and take a taxi back to mine. But let's see each other again back in London. Alright?" She asked. He began to feel hopeful again.

"I'll look forward to it." He pushed himself off her and rose from the tub. Wrapped a towel around his waist and offered her one too. Draco picked up her dress, it was still wet. He could dry it for her with magic secretly.

"I'll take this to the bathroom to try and dry it for you." He offered, hoping he could get his wand and quietly spell it dry.

"Oh don't worry about it. I'll be back at my hostel shortly." She protested, her hand towel-drying her strawberry blonde hair. It was starting to curl and frizz in the wet weather. He thought it was rather adorable.

"I wouldn't feel right to let you go home looking like a wet dog. How about you take one of my shirts?" He opened up the wardrobe and pulled out a crisp white linen shirt. When he turned around to offer it to her, he had to swallow hard. Jean was perched on the edge of the futon, still drying her hair and hasn't made any attempt to clothe herself. He'd like to fuck her again on the hard mattress until she couldn't protest.

"You know it's very hard to let you leave when you look like that right now." He dropped the shirt and knelt down beside her to kiss her ardently. His cock recovered quickly and was ready for round two.

* * *

Draco's knees were sore from the friction on the tatami mat flooring and he could hardly catch his own breath. Jean has already shuffled out from under him and hurriedly putting her clothes on, including the clean shirt he abandoned on the floor. He sat on the futon as he watched her cover her delectable body in clothing. She turned and leant in to give him a peck on his lips.

"Thanks for the bath, maybe someday I'll return the favour."

He couldn't help but wrap his arms around her slender waist and pulled her down with him.

"You're welcome." He wanted to ask Jean to stay, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. Reluctantly he watches her leave his room and he fell back on the bed. Something sharp digs into his shoulder and he pulls it out. A simple gold Celtic knot earring, it must have been Jean's. He puts it carefully into his robe pocket and smiles to himself. There might be hope he'll see her again later and hopefully she won't say no.

* * *

 **Thank you for so many of you reading this chapter, following the story, adding it to your favorites list and reviewing.**

 **I'd love to hear what you thought of this chapter and what you might expect may happen. So please review!**

 **Until next time!**


	4. Clues and Deceit

Btw, I don't own the Harry Potter world. That privilege goes to JK Rowling (who should be knighted as a Dame.)

 **Chapter 4**

 **Clues and deceit**

The next day, Hermione managed to arrive early at the Magical Government of Japan. She was greeted by the Minister of Magical Transport and Tourism, Mr Inoue who she has already met at the Kappa sanctuary. She was also greeted by the Minister for Regulations and Care of Magical Creatures, the Minister of Magical Enforcements, their assistants and a translator. She was surprised by the number of people who attended. Each one bowed enthusiastically at her and presented their business cards with such a flourish, she was almost embarrassed about her solitary attendance. The translator mentioned that the ministers were excited to meet such a famous war hero from Britain.

They waited in the foyer for a few minutes longer as they made small talk. Hermione received an owl yesterday from her boss who gave her some good news and said a representative from Pendragon Travel Company would attend the meeting to represent the business interests for the project. However not much else was mentioned in the letter.

She was listening to the translator explaining an answer, when heads turned to look behind her. She looked back and was displeased to see Draco Malfoy walking purposefully towards them. Her stomach sank at the sight of him. He was immaculately dressed in pristine linen navy robes and crisp white shirt. Of all the people in the world, the Ministry agreed on his representation!

She noted how he walked with purpose and certainty. He bowed smoothly to the Ministers and when he turned to face her. He stared at her intensely as if his grey eyes could pierce straight through her like a deadly sword. Before she could say anything, he gave her a curt and rigid bow. She was thankful for the lack of handshakes in Japanese culture. It would have looked awkward if he didn't offer to shake her hand.

The assistants led them towards an elevator where they all crammed in. Malfoy stood closely and she could smell his expensive cologne, like bergamot and something manly. They were led and seated around a conference table, her and Malfoy on one side and everyone else on the other side.

"Thank you Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger for visiting us. We are very honoured with your visit." Said the Mr. Inoue. "On today's agenda, we understand you may have questions after your visit to our Tochigi-Kappa sanctuary. But first, my colleague has a presentation on our magical enforcement policies."

* * *

Draco listened to what he considered a presentation that's dryer than Professor Binn's history lessons. He glared over at Granger who was dutifully taking notes. Her face was well structured and it was too bad she no longer had those buck teeth. He also noted that it was also a shame her hair isn't as bushy as it used to be. It was still voluminous but it now framed her face.

"Thank you. Do either Ms Granger or Mr Malfoy have any questions?" Said Mr Inoue after the presentation.

Granger's hand shot straight up in the air, her posture perfectly straight. Of course know-it-all Hermione Granger has questions.

"I have some questions about your contingency plans in case of emergencies..." she continued to rattle on and listened carefully to their response. Draco continued to study her, did she always have chocolate eyes and a full mouth? Her ears were like smooth creamy shells; one ear was missing an earring.

In her fury of writing quickly, she knocked over her spare quill. Her chair slipped back quickly and bent down to fetch it. When she came back up, she tucked some hair behind her other ear. Her other lovely ear decorated with a gold Celtic knot earring.

The voices faded in the distance, a burning fiery anger started to engulf his chest. It all started to fall in place now, the way she raised her hand at the bar last night, her job as a civil servant at the Ministry of Magic, her scent of cardamom, vanilla and honey…everything. Jean and Hermione were one and the same. He slept with _the_ Hermione _Jean_ Granger.

He had to focus his gaze on someone else and started to breathe slowly like he used to when practicing Occlumency. This is not the time and place for him to engage in emotions. He essentially had a job to do, the real purpose of why he's here.

"If I may also ask a question, could you explain how you liaise with local businesses, like hotels to cater for visitors?"

An assistant answered his question and for the rest of the meeting Draco could focus on what was happening. Although he made it a point to not look at Granger. As if to block her from his sight, he can carefully block her from his thoughts.

He thought he got everything he needed from the meeting and how the Japanese government were helping their national businesses. There was a lot of inspiration from their work ethic. The meeting came to an end, yet he still had to focus on ignoring Granger. They were both escorted to the elevator, the ministers and their staff bowed and said their farewells as the elevator door closed. Now they were alone.

Draco wanted to confront her desperately about her secret, but in his years surviving the war and in business, he knew it was best to be prudent and certain.

"Granger, I believe you dropped an earring." He had pretended to pick up the missing gold earring which he had tucked in his robe pocket. Her hands fell to her ears quickly and he noticed how she swept her hair from her graceful neck.

"Thank you Malfoy." Draco noted how her voice was brittle when addressing him, so different from the night before. She placed her fingers over his open palm and retrieved the earring she had dropped the night before. Perhaps she's still oblivious to the situation.

"No problem Hermione _Jean_ Granger." He took out the presentation notes he was given and had to pull it back a bit.

"It's a shame the font they use is so small." His other hand reached inside his robes and pulled out his reading glasses. They were made of tortoiseshell and handmade to suit his face.

He pretended to try and read his notes until he couldn't help but glance to the witch beside him.

Her chocolate brown eyes were wide as saucers, her usual full lips drawn to a thin line. The penny has dropped. The veil has been lifted. So many questions and rage swarming through their heads

Suddenly the lift door opened and Hermione wasted no time to get out of the confides of the box. Though, Draco was ready with his quidditch reflexes and caught up with her in long strides. He pulls out his wand, snakes his arm around her waist before apparating to somewhere he knew is private.

* * *

Hermione was caught surprised by the sudden side-apparition. She withdrew her wand quickly as soon as they landed, pointing it directly at Draco Malfoy. She noticed they were in a traditional Japanese room, like the one she was in last night. No, it was the same room.

She glared at him who had held his hands open, wand lightly balanced between his fingers. He was still wearing those tortoiseshell glasses which framed his steely silver eyes.

It all fell into place. He went to boarding school in Scotland, as in Hogwarts. He plays quidditch, his expensive cologne, the stories he told about his parents – how his father had ruined his family's reputation, his aristocratic nature. Malfoy's hair was more platinum blonde and she could see how the side streak he had as Orion was truly his natural hair. Actually he wore it in a similar style, short at the back but longer at the top. How didn't she see it earlier? Wasn't she supposed to be the brightest witch of her generation?

He looked at her with a focused look like a prey would to a predator. No, he was the predator and she was the prey to his games.

"How dare you Draco Malfoy!" She accused him, she can't hold back her fury anymore.

She watched as Malfoy's face changed from impassive to one of rage, as he stepped right up to her and gripped her arms tightly. "How dare me?! How dare you! What is this game you're playing at? Was it Potter who set you up to this? Or are you a spy for the Ministry?!"

She had to yank herself away, almost walking back into the balcony door. She could hear the trickling of water into the hot spring tub. That tub! Where Malfoy practically made love to her in it. She feels betrayed by her own past feelings, it was all a lie.

"Don't you throw accusations at me, I would never stoop to that level. If anything I would think you're the kind of character who would be so deceitful. After all you were the one who spent an entire year plotting to kill Dum…!" She put her hand over her mouth, already regretting what she was accusing Malfoy to be. An unrepentant Death Eater. She knows deep down that's not true, but it's too late.

"Get out now." He said through clenched teeth.

Hermione storms out but before she left, she turned around. "Thank Merlin we figured this out now. You're a sliar and I hope we never meet again!" Her hands flung the door shut with a resounding clatter as she raced down the now familiar corridor.

Hot tears streamed down her face as she went, her mind spinning wildly in contrast to the tranquil moss-covered garden she can now see in the broad daylight. Hermione ran out into the foyer and apparated to an alley near her hostel where still in tears, she packed her belongings and grabbed the portkey home. Although she didn't stay home for long, the minute she landed in her apartment, she grabbed a fistful of floo powder and threw it into the fireplace. "12 Grimmauld Place."

* * *

 **I'm so nervous to hear your reactions. Were you expecting that? What are your plot predictions?**

 **I've got big plans for the rest of the story and it's been so much fun to writing this.**

 **Riaroo400 - I hope the tension is not longer killing you now. ;-)**

 **Thanks foreverkake, Pjyenn and all the guest** **reviewers too!**


	5. Honesty and Review

**Chapter 5**

 **Honesty and Review**

Hermione landed in Harry and Ginny's fireplace, desperately brushing away the soot and the tears. As soon as Harry walked into the living room, she wrapped her arms around him and let out a heaving sob.

"Harry, I've been so stupid!" She felt him pat her back and led her to sit on the sofa. Ginny strolled in and with a single look, left to put on a brew. She returned with a tray full of tea, biscuits, handkerchiefs and a full glass of wine.

"What happened?" Ginny asked as she sat on the other side of her. Hermione didn't really know what to say to her caring friends, who she knows would murder Malfoy.

"I just found out that Orion was a liar, this entire time!" Harry and Ginny straightened up.

"What did the fucker do? Is he secretly married? Does he have a girlfriend? Did he assault you?" Ginny asked, her face turning red with fury.

"No! Nothing like that!" Hermione took the glass of wine and gulped almost half of it down. "He didn't tell me he was a wizard." She noticed how they contemplated this new fact as she continued to sip the rest of her wine in silence.

Eventually, Harry spoke, "Isn't that a good thing?"

Hermione thought about Harry's question, explaining she's a witch would be inevitable if she dated one. What if they weren't receptive and she had to obliviate their memory? Harry was right, dating a wizard had advantages, but not about who the wizard is. "That's not the point Harry. He disguised himself and had a fake name, appearance. He lied about his true identity, like his name."

"Then who is he?" Harry asked.

"It doesn't matter now. Plus, I fear you may murder him."

"Hermione, didn't you disguise yourself and gave him a fake name?" Ginny asked quietly.

"That's different! I used my middle name which is the truth."

"But is it really that different?" Hermione contemplated the question. Was she to blame too? She covered many things about her appearance, her hair, the scars, the word that was carved on her left arm. She just wanted to date like a normal person. Was that too much to ask? Was that what Malfoy wanted too? Her heart fell with that realisation. She couldn't fully blame him. But she can't forgive him right now either. Then what is next? She didn't know, she was too afraid to think about the answer. She spent so many years pining for someone and when it became a reality, it wasn't what she expected it to be. In some ways she was disappointed and wanted more. Could she go through that again?

"Hermione if you don't want to talk about it yet, that's ok. You know you can talk to us any time." Ginny said. Her and Harry gave each other a knowing look. Hermione caught it and wished she was able to find that one day. But for now, she's rather not think about it.

* * *

It has been over a fortnight since Hermione's fateful trip to Japan. She spent every waking moment working on her research and putting together her report. She had it delivered two days ago and today's the day the Ministry will review and make their final decision.

Some nights she fell asleep at her desk, face smudged with ink. Some nights when she managed to fall asleep in her bed, she would end up dreaming about a certain blond man which left her

tired and upset. She concluded that the different circumstances of playing as different people meant they were able to enjoy each other. In the normal situation, they would have been destructive and highly incompatible. Still, coming to this rational conclusion hasn't comforted her much.

Today she arrived to the assigned conference room thirty minutes early, having prepared extra copies of her report on the table for all who would turn up to her review. The butterflies in her stomach were almost unbearable by the time the bell chimed and over three dozen wizards and witches crammed in and sat around the long table.

The Minister of Magic Shacklebolt was in attendance too. It was he who started the meeting. "Miss Granger, we have all read your proposal and the accompanied research report with it. I may speak for some to say that it's very ambitious and if successful would really be beneficial to our economy." Some people nodded in agreement, however Hermione noticed the head of Sports looked as if he had swallowed a sour lemon.

"Before we decide, are there any questions are the table?" Shacklebolt looked around and the head of Sports wasted no opportunity to voice his displeasure.

"Miss Granger, I believe during your career at the Ministry, you have yet to pass a single bill of your own. Am I correct?"

"While that is true, they were bills focused on house elf welfare reforms and unrelated to the kind of bill I'm proposing."

"Then how do you expect us to entrust you and your department to deliver a highly expensive and risky project with your lack of experience? Shouldn't what little funds in the treasury be used in other projects with proven success rates?"

"If you are referring to your department, may I remind you that the last time your department organised and hosted the Quidditch World Cup, there were death eaters who reigned terror and tortured muggles." Hermione wasn't holding back, others paled at the mention of that day.

"There will always be an element of risk, with sports as well as magical creatures. If you would take a look under chapter 36 section 18, Health, Safety and Emergencies; I clearly proposed many possible course of actions for those kind of situations."

A few witches and wizards turned their pages in the hefty proposals to read the section and some of them nodded in agreement.

Hermione continued to answer questions for what felt like a lifetime. In her opinion, possibly longer than any exams she has ever taken. As time passed, the questions became less hostile and more about elaboration on how each department would be involved. She thinks the head of Magical Education was most certainly on board after she spoke about the possibility of student field trips.

The head of Sports remained silent since his first question. The Minister of Magical Economics spoke to her. "I understand that this project is to encourage local businesses to be involved. Who would foot the bill for all this? The businesses or the Ministry? I am concerned that the Ministry would pay for it all but it's the businesses who keep the profits and the taxation recouped wouldn't be enough to cover those costs. Then the Ministry could be even further in debt."

"I have given this a great deal of thought. It's why if you look at chapter 28, section 5 you would see how I have proposed a sponsorship scheme where businesses have to pay a percentage fee depending on the level of commitment they have to the project. In chapter 28, section 7 I've also detailed all our revenue streams and how we adjust our budget accordingly." Hermione has thought of practically everything they asked of her. If this was an exam, she was starting to feel like she was almost guaranteed over 130%.

Everyone fell silent, perhaps Hermione hoped was the end of the questioning. Finally, the Minister of Magic stood up. "Are there any other questions in the room?" The room was still silent except for the rustling of parchment. Suddenly her boss, Constance McColl stood up, he has remained silent throughout the meeting, looking bored and disinterested.

"I understand that this project requires sponsors and I believe I have found one company who has already shown keen interest in becoming the official partner sponsor. In fact I have invited someone from the company to speak to you all today."

"Oh really McColl?" Shacklebolt raised an eyebrow. "Who might this person be?"

"He should be waiting outside; shall we bring him in?"

Shacklebolt nodded to an assistant who went to open the door.

The door opened and Hermione took a sharp inhale when a pristinely dressed Draco Malfoy strolled in. Hermione thought he looked the same as usual, a smirk across his face, his platinum blonde hair carefully groomed. His eyes burned through her as he moved to stand beside her. Then he faced the rest of the room and avoided to look at her at all costs.

"Good afternoon Mr Malfoy. He is the President of Pendragon Travel Agency, who's company owns ten magical hotels and provides travel organisational services to thousands of witches and wizards each year. He has also invested over three million galleons within the past three years in some of the most profitable businesses in Britain and his other companies are involved in potions and magical trade brokerage."

There was a few half-hearted applauds from a few witches and wizards. Some turned their heads away from him. It dawned on Hermione that he's still one of the least popular wizards in Britain.

"Thank you Minister McColl for the invitation to speak to you all. As you know, I need not to convince you all that Miss Granger's proposal has solid grounds. I'm here to tell you about what other business owners think of this idea." From a robe pocket, he pulled out a roll of parchment and one-handedly unravelled it across the table and everyone peered down to see a long list of names and quotes attached to each one of them.

"What you see before you are a list of business owners and quotes from them about the current state of affairs with their businesses, their hopes and fears." Hermione noted how his voice was less whiny from his school days but commanded attention and confidence.

"It may take you all some time to read these, but let me summarise the key points." He lifted his wand and tapped the parchment. The letters glowed and letters lifted off the parchment to float mid-air for all to see. They reformed into short bullet points.

"Firstly, British businesses are concerned with the economic stagnation as an effect from the war. Sales may not have declined but some businesses like Jimmy Kiddell's Wonderful Wands, Florean Fortescue's Parlour or Slugs & Jiggers Apothecary haven't seen growth in at least three years. Secondly, they want the Ministry to help them, through revitalising the economy and give their customers' confidence to spend again. Thirdly, they want to reach foreign markets where witches and wizards there still have large spending power, such as the Middle East and Asia." Draco touched the tip of his wand on the parchment again and the illuminated words fell back onto the parchment. "What Ms. Granger has proposed isn't the only solution, but my business acquaintances and I agree that this is the kind of initiative we want the Ministry to take."

A few people whispered amongst themselves. "I don't trust a Malfoy but if all these accounts are legitimate then, there's people's support for this." Someone whispered this to their colleague. Hermione knew these kind of opinions were still prevalent, but to have them say it so publicly. She's nervous, this has gotten out of her control. If only McColl had notified her before the meeting, then she would know what to do. She must reassure them fast.

"Thank you Mr. Malfoy for speaking on the behalf of your companies and your business associates. I'd like to confirm to everyone that while the program is in its infancy, more company sponsors can be procured. Let me also remind you all what the core principle of this program is - the protection of Magical beasts in Britain and to build a long-lasting legacy for the future generations of witches and wizards."

Shacklebolt stood up once again to address the room. "Thank you Ms Granger and Mr Malfoy for your impassioned presentations today. If you could step outside for a few minutes, we would like to call on a vote." Hermione walked towards the door, without looking behind her to know that Malfoy followed her closely. They've not said a word to each other since Japan. Now they stood on opposite sides of a closed door in a corridor, alone except for paper planes whizzing past their heads.

Hermione wanted to ignore him but she could smell his expensive cologne which was highly distracting. She glanced at him where he stood impassive and unmoving. Perhaps he's moving on and so should she.

"Malfoy," she took a deep breath for some Gryffindor courage, "I hope we can put what's happened behind us and we can remain professional in the foreseeable future." For once, he turned to face her.

"Whatever you say Granger." He turned away again to stare straight ahead down the corridor. Hermione looked down at the floor to her black heels, trying to put away the feeling of indignation in a tiny box at the back of her mind. Was she expecting some peace offering? She asked too much, especially from Draco Malfoy.

The door opened shortly after she wrestled her own mind to a state of calmness. The assistant ushered them in and they stood side by side again facing the whole room.

"Thank you for waiting Miss Granger. We have voted on this issue and it wasn't completely unanimous. But we are giving you permission to deliver your project."

Many in the room applauded and started to get up and leave the room.

"If you don't mind, Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy. Could you stay behind for a few more minutes?" Shacklebolt asked. They waited until everyone left, except for McColl and Shacklebolt.

"Now that you'll be spearheading this project Miss Granger. McColl can spare another member of staff; do you have a preference?"

"I was hoping if Mrs Khan could help, she's very level-headed and experienced."

"Very well. In addition, would Mr Malfoy if your company fully intend to be the official sponsored partner, would you be interested in providing your company's expertise in business and marketing to the development and the launch of this project?"

"I can allocate one or two employees but I'd like to personally oversee any decisions made on the business' behalf. While we don't have a written contract laying out all the terms, I won't have my assistants to start work yet. I hope you can understand from my perspective."

"I'm sure with Ms Granger's abilities, she can have a draft contract drawn up for the legal team to check and sent to you within 3 days." Shacklebolt looked at her expectantly. Deep down Hermione knew this meant a few more late nights for her, but this is what she rises to the occasion for.

"Of course sir. We don't want to be wasting any more of Mr Malfoy's time."

"In that case, let's better get to work then." Shacklebolt rubbed his hands in delight, "I look forward to announcing this to the press."

He bounded out of the room as McColl awkwardly put his hand out and shook Malfoy's and Hermione's hand. She was shocked at this amount of personal contact.

"Happy to have you on board, Malfoy. Get to work, Granger." He bolted out of the door, he still had a large department to run.

This left Malfoy alone with her in the conference room. Twice in a day.

"Malfoy, I…" She wanted to say something, anything.

"Until next time, Granger." He waltzed out of the room without glancing back. Left her feeling ridiculous and dispirited, rather than victorious about her career as she should be right now.

* * *

 **Happy new year! I caught the worst cold that I couldn't shake off until now, hence the delay in updating this story.**

 **The wheels are in motion and I hope you're all looking forward to what happens next as much as I am.**

 **Let me know your thoughts so far.**

 **Until next time!**


	6. Two Truths and a Lie

**A/N: Thank you for everyone who's still reading up to this point! I've realised that with work, home life & triathlon training; there's not a lot of time to squeeze in writing. So I'm going to make a promise right now to update every 2 weeks on a Friday evening (UK time). Plus it's been so long since I've done any creative writing, I'm still a little rusty. However Friday is my training rest day, when I can read through what I've written, edit & post. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!**

 **Chapter 6**

 **Two truths and a lie**

The Ministry of Magic has been full of gossip about the new committee which has established itself in the fifth floor conference room, which used to be a windowless storage facility for stationery. The gossipers shared the news of who has transferred to the new committee and why they were chosen.

This included Zaha Khan, a long-time employee of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures department. People have always thought she seemed satisfied with steadily working at the same position with no apparent desire for promotion or change. It was most bizarre to them that Zaha has made the move.

A number of the Ministry's male employees took notice of Artemis Bourdain. A beautiful and bright graduate from Beauxbaton who worked for Pendragon and her presence has been appreciated by some keen admirers. Another addition to the committee was Justin Finch-Fletchley, who also worked for Pendragon. Some whispered his upper-class connections helped him climb the corporate ladder, but Hermione thought differently as he was knowledgeable and reliable for advice.

For all but one day of the week, this band of four worked tirelessly to their own strict deadlines to launch the National Trust of Magical Beings. Hermione would go as far to say that she's having the greatest time in her career; if she could only ignore Fridays.

For Fridays are when Draco Malfoy comes to the conference room and takes part in the decision-making. His arrogance exudes from him each week and bosses everyone around as if he's the team leader. This infuriates her as she's the one who's doing the hard work of management on a daily basis. Not only that, but every time he comes, she is racked with anxiety. What if he openly insults her or worse - mentions their brief fling? Even though she knew he's very good at keeping secrets – such as the big one he had in his sixth year. Nevertheless, the thought of it becoming public, makes her nervous. Hermione doesn't like uncertainty; she likes definitive facts.

Unfortunately for her, today is Friday and it's not even lunch time. Currently the team is brainstorming on possible advert ideas, and to find an ideal spokesperson.

"Gabrielle Delacour would be perfect. She has a lot of appeal with the adventurous males we want to target." Draco said as he lounged across his chair like he owned the room.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Typical man, not thinking with their brains."

"What's your problem? Jealous?" He raised an eyebrow over his reading glasses, which made her shiver, just a little.

"Don't flatter yourself Malfoy." There was no way Hermione wanted him to know he affected her in the slightest. Especially when those glasses do suit him very well.

"Actually I agree with Miss Granger; sexual objectification seems too old-fashioned. It would also alienate our equally adventurous female audience." Defended Artemis, who was dutifully writing suggestions on a blackboard.

"How about using a creature instead of a person?"

She liked Justin's idea very much. "That sounds fantastic, we could use a kappa."

Draco only snorted at the suggestion. "Granger, do you want this to fail? A kappa would drive people away not draw them in. They are ugly and terrifying creatures."

"For Merlin's sake! Our whole reform project is supposed to be about magical creatures! Let's show them some!" Hermione barked. This man is very exasperating. Mrs Khan made a notable cough, they all turned to her who had stayed quiet until now.

"Why don't we use a niffler? They look adorable, inquisitive and native to our country." She finally said.

"Yes and we can get them to run around our sanctuaries searching for gold." Justin contributed with enthusiasm.

"Of course! We follow its search and watch it come across all the other creatures in the campaign, like dragons, acromantulas and fairies." Added Artemis.

Hermione thought it was all coming together nicely and looked in Draco's direction; daring him to disagree with the suggestions. He stood up from his chair and paced the floor. The room was silent as everyone waited for him to speak, as he slowly stared at the blackboard and rubbed his five o'clock shadow. Eventually, he picked up his wand and made the chalk write rapidly on the board.

"Pendragon could offer some introductory expenses-paid prizes. Justin, we need artwork, niffler mock-ups and taglines. Artemis, we need a timescale plan and a pitch deck for other sponsors." The chalk kept writing on the board as Malfoy tucked his glasses into a robe pocket. "Mrs Khan, we need to make sure the dragon sanctuary in the Brecon Beacons is up to code and have the necessary visitor facilities in place."

By this point Hermione has had enough of his tyranny and stood up. The screeching of her chair made him stop his pacing and stare at her.

"Malfoy, this is a team effort. You can't bark out orders like a dictator." With his hands clasped behind him, he reminded her of how he used to look when he was a school bully.

"There's no time to waste when we can get things done." Malfoy responded calmly. Hermione desperately want to swipe her palm across his cheek for his arrogance, but that's going against her promise of professionalism.

"Let's call in for a vote, does everyone here agree with Malfoy's proposal?" All other hands went up, clearly it was only she who disagreed with him. "Well then Malfoy, have it your way." She snapped. Hermione didn't know it was possible to feel a bit angrier when he smirked at his victory.

"Granger, there's plenty of things I can think of, for you to do too." He teased which made her shiver, not that she would admit to it. "Firstly, you can pick a date for a launch party. Then be a dear and come up with a list of names for our new mascot." She felt the blood spreading up her neck in fury.

* * *

Draco had to admit that this new project is exciting for him, there's so much opportunity for his company and to help rebuild the Malfoy public name. He's so pleased with his choice of employees for the project too, Artemis who started working for him last year. Although very attractive, he thought she was a bit too naïve for his liking to ever consider dating. As an employee, he discovered she was in touch with today's younger generation, hard-working and intelligent. Justin came to work for him by coincidence. As he went into hiding during the war, he had difficulty getting a job without his N.E.W.T.S.

This was at same time as when Draco had equal challenges with finding employees for his companies. If it weren't for copious amounts of alcohol and an unfiltered drunken chat, Justin wouldn't be working for him as he did now. Draco also knew that Justin was the sort of person Hermione would trust from his company, something necessary if he wanted to make his life as smooth as possible.

The only damper on this project was working with Hermione Granger. Time hasn't really moderated his anger with her. She was war heroine, brightest witch of our generation Hermione Jean Granger! Despite her appearance as a bucktooth, frizzy-haired schoolgirl, she has matured over the years into an interesting and dare he say attractive woman. Which brings him to the puzzle of whywas she in disguise and using a muggle device to date?

It completely baffled him why she would go to such extent of a disguise to date. Why did she find it necessary? There must be plenty of wizards already in this building alone who would happily take her out for dinner. He has mulled over this conundrum for weeks and the only conclusions he has is that it's part of an elaborate joke or the ministry is spying on him.

It also made him wonder if she found it hard to pretend to like him. Were her soft moans when he pleasured her real? Did she meant everything she said? Were there other people who leant over her shoulder as he sent her some very saucy messages? Did they all have a good laugh at his expense, thinking they had Draco Malfoy fooled? Was Hermione ever genuine when they were just 'Jean and 'Orion'?

"What about Rowan?" Draco pulled himself out of his own thoughts as Hermione looked expectantly at him, apparently a bit miffed.

"Rowan?"

"As a name for the niffler, it's a suggestion." She pulled her arms across her chest which he didn't notice how it enhanced the view down her neckline.

"Is it female now?" A female niffler sat uneasy with him.

"Well for now, let's not decide whether it's male or female. Let's just brainstorm some names, as you ordered us to do." She was getting more frustrated as he wasn't catching up with her conversation. He thought about the name, without drawings it can be hard to say.

"Granger, come up with a shortlist of names beginning with N. Don't bother me until you've done that." With that he stood and left the room for a quick walk. He needed a break from her.

He needed a moment to recollect himself, before he forgets he's in her company as a means to an end. He needed to remind himself that if she planned on humiliating him; their encounterswould have been public knowledge by now. He needed to remind himself that he doesn't feel the pull of desire towards her. He needed to remind himself that it's only for one day a week where he has to put up with this entire situation.

* * *

"We should all go for drinks as a team!" Artemis said at the end of the day.

"Here, here! Let's go to the Three Broomsticks." Justin responded and Mrs Khan nodded as she placed her parchments and quills neatly in her gold and brown matronly bag. Hermione didn't really want to go if the invitation also extends to Malfoy. Though, she does see the value in team-bonding so she also agreed. Malfoy didn't say anything as he adjusted his robes, perhaps he wasn't going to join them, she hoped. They all took the elevator together and headed towards the floo fireplaces in the main foyer on the eighth floor. He was engaged in a conversation with Artemis about her weekend plans, and yet he hasn't made any mention of drinks. He courteously made space for Mrs Khan to step into the fireplace first and Artemis went next. Hermione thought she was almost in the clear for a Draco-free night when he stepped into the fireplace.

"Hogsmeade." He said loud and clear. In a burst of green flame, he disappeared to join the rest of the team.

"Hermione, after you please." Justin offered politely. There wasn't really a choice in bailing out now, it would look obvious to everyone if she changed her mind. Reluctantly she stepped into the fireplace and shouted for Hogsmeade.

* * *

The Three Broomsticks was particularly busy this evening, people have finished work and ready to start the weekend. The drinks were flowing and only a few tables were available. This kind of bustling pub was the least ideal place for Draco, but he knew it was good to forge better relationships with the people he worked with.

"I'll get the first round." Draco offered as he headed towards the bar.

"We'll grab a table." Justin guided Artemis to one of the few tables still free.

Draco ordered butterbeer for the ladies, fire whiskey for Justin and himself. He arrived at the table with a tray full of drinks and found the only empty seat was lodged tightly between Hermione and Justin.

"Malfoy, we are playing a game of two truths and a lie." Artemis looked very excited as she announced it.

"And what's the point of this game? Couldn't we just have a drink whilst having amiable small talk." He protested, he detested team-building games.

"Come on Malfoy, lighten up and play." Jostled Justin.

He sighed as he passed drinks around. "What are the rules?"

"We go around the table and we each have to tell three facts about ourselves. But one of them is a lie and the rest of us have to guess. Whoever guesses wrong has to drink." Oh fabulous. A drinking game, could it get any worse? He thought making an appearance, buy a round and leave after a drink would be enough to keep up appearances.

"Justin, why don't you go first?" Artemis is clearly far too keen on this game.

"Well, I lived in Canada for a year. Brussels sprouts are disgusting. I used to be in the school polo club." Justin looked very chuffed with himself. Draco didn't know much about the muggle sport polo but he knew Justin's background well enough to believe he played polo as a child.

"I think Canada is a lie." He said, and Mrs Khan shook her head.

"Brussels sprouts are fabulous. That's the lie." She claimed.

"I think you weren't in a polo club." Hermione said as she shuffled in her chair and accidentally brushed her knee with his, which sent a small jolt through him.

"I agree with Malfoy." Artemis chopped in. Justin grinned as he pointed to Mrs Khan.

"Brussels sprouts are horrendous and nothing will ever change my opinion."

He looked at Draco. "I may have had riding lessons as a child but I was never good enough for the polo club. So drink up!"

Draco sipped some of his whiskey. "Out of all places in the world, why would you choose to live in Canada?"

Unless it's for business, Canada was far from his personal travel wish list.

"It was during the war." He said as he sipped his whiskey. Suddenly Draco felt very foolish for asking. Of course he has mentioned he went into hiding as a muggle during the war, it didn't occur that Canada is where he went. Artemis offered to alleviate the mood at the table.

"How about I go next."

The table lightened up a bit as everyone tried to guess Artemis and Mrs Khan's lies. He was surprised that Mrs Khan once won a fashion competition in Witches Weekly. Some people can change a lot in thirty years. His drink was empty so he got up to get everyone another round as Hermione gave her three facts. It took him a while to get the next round of drinks at the packed bar. So when he returned, his seat was taken by a rather ruddy-cheeked wizard who was trying to talk to Hermione. The man's arm was draped across the back of her chair as he leant in for conversation. A sense of irritation took over him. He doesn't like it when someone takes his seat, he reasoned.

"What does the great Hermione Granger likes to read in bed?" He overheard the man say. Oh Merlin! He's definitely not putting up with this nonsense. Draco coughed loudly which caused the wizard to look up at him standing at full menacing height.

"You're in my seat." He said with as much malice he can summon within him. The wizard didn't cower in his drunkenness but only smirked at him.

"Why would a war heroine want to sit next to Death Eater scum like you?" It all happened so quickly, the drinks spilled all over Draco, as a resounding slap by Hermione landed on the wizard's face. The bartender dashed over brandishing his wand and magically expelled the wizard out of the pub. The crowded room was very quiet, all observing the scene and were now very aware of the people involved in the commotion. Draco knew he just wanted to disappear. He turned and ran to the bathroom, his robes completely drenched in sticky butterbeer. He discarded his robe and his shirt. Turned the tap on and started to wash his hands and face. He looked up and saw a pair of worried chocolate brown eyes staring back at him in the reflection.

"Draco," Hermione whispered as she stepped closer to him. "I'm sorry that happened." He turned to face her and noticed how her eyes darted towards his bare left arm. He had a sinking feeling; she pitied him. He hated being pitied. Especially being pitied by her. It was the straw that broke this dragon's back.

"What does it matter to you? You don't really care!"

"That's not true - " He snorted at her lie.

"I'm sure you had weeks of fun, laughing behind my back with your stupid friends! Was it not enough to see my family be publicly dragged through the mud for our mistakes?" He pulled her as he gripped her shoulders, he wanted to shake it out of her. "You just had to personally humiliate me, thinking you were someone I can trust and maybe fall in love with. Are you here to gloat about how much people hate me? Do you revel in my misery?"

He was shouting at the top of his voice, all the anger he pouring out of him was cathartic. He watched as her face broke, her eyes were glazed over with tears. He was so close to her, the last time they were this close was, they were…

"You're a complete sod!" She placed a hand on his bare chest and pushed him away. He could feel the residual warmth from her hand, right over his heart. "I stood up for you in front of that pig-headed man and you're throwing it in my face!" Those fat tears started to roll down her lovely cheeks. She slammed the door as she left, leaving him in the bathroom, drenched in sticky beer and emotionally depleted.

* * *

A/N: I hate feeling so nervous every time I post a new chapter. Let me know what you thought of it. See you in 2 weeks!


	7. Abraxans and Revelations

**Chapter 7**

 **Abraxans** **and Revelations**

Hermione prides herself on being able to keep a cool head, but with her twenty feet long check list she most certainly feels the intense pressure. She can't believe there's only thirty six hours until the press gala. The team and herself has put in extra hours in the past two weeks but she felt like it still wasn't enough. Like why hasn't someone from Magical Enforcement visited yet to double check all the protection spells? When are the printers going to deliver the final collateral? Are the interns going to put out all the chairs in time?

"Hermione, your plus one ticket." Justin appeared and handed over an envelope.

"My plus one?" She was confused. Nobody discussed this when they were going over the guest list.

"Of course! You could bring Harry or another friend." He walked away, he also had plenty to do today.

It really hadn't of occurred to Hermione to invite someone because she assumed that it's a work event. She may try to owl Ginny or Harry to see if they were free. She looked down at her list, there's just too much to do than to ponder who she can invite last minute. It's best to leave it be. If she's going to be busy that evening, she may leave one of her poor friends by themselves the whole night. In her neat handwriting at the top of the list, it read "Draco's introduction." Great, she has to go over that blonde's speech for tomorrow, which means she has to find him. They haven't spoken about the Three Broomsticks incident and avoided it like the elephant in the room. Most of their interaction has purely been work-related but it seems like they have been pushing each other's buttons more as the final day draws closer. She can't imagine how much snappier he could be today. She sighed as she reminisced back how he was a much better companion only last week.

* * *

 _She was at her desk putting rolls of checklists and documents in her handbag, which thankfully had an undetectable extension charm to accommodate everything. It's her last visit to the Brecon Beacons before the whole team moves there to prepare for the launch gala. She was about to pack some dragonhide safety gloves and an extra cloak when the man she least expected walked in to the office._

 _"_ _What are you doing here?" She was surprised to see Draco in the small room, it was only Wednesday. He wasn't supposed to be here._

 _"_ _Good morning to you too, Granger. I see you've left your manners at home today." He replied curtly. "I'm coming with you to supervise; I want to make sure everything is running properly – from a commercial perspective."_

 _She noted how he looked immaculate in a well-tailored robe as always and wore pristine boots to match. Not that she wanted to check him out, it's just an observation that nothing much escapes his attention to detail, including his appearance. Perhaps he would be of use today._

 _"_ _Well let's go get that portkey then." They walked to the department of transportation and she was grateful for the lack of conversation. The witch responsible for distributing portkeys today handed over a small bright pink and sparkly toy the shape of a Pegasus, which Hermione recognized from her childhood._

 _"_ _Of all portkeys, what is this nonsense?" The witch giggled at Draco's response, Hermione noted how her eyes kept darting over to him as she filled out all the necessary paperwork._

 _"_ _It's a popular muggle children's toy. I thought it was appropriate for where you are going. Although I didn't know the two of you were together…"_

 _"_ _No, we're not together. I also have a lot of business there too." Draco was so quick off the mark in protestation, it made Hermione feel uncomfortable. The witch looked uncomfortably embarrassed, as she readjusted her robes._

 _"_ _Sorry, of course I didn't mean that. Well take care Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger." Hermione pursed her lips into a tight line as she snatched the paperwork from her grasp and all but stormed out of the office. Watching people fawn over Draco is unbearable and she has no intention for allowing it to continue._

 _Draco holds out the toy in his palm in the main foyer and offers her his hand. Due to the size of it being no bigger than her thumb, she had no choice but to clasp her hand in his larger warm one. The familiar pull in her belly and spinning nausea through a tight tube came to her until she finds her feet planted down onto squelchy wet mud. Draco yelped in protest over the muck._

 _"_ _This is not suitable for any of our guests to land in. My boots are practically ruined!" She could barely contain her laughter at the once gleaming boots now caked in thick brown sludge._

 _"_ _Get over your boots. You're rich enough to buy a new pair each week." But she did secretly agree that the landing spot for portkey travel needs fixing – something dryer. She looked around and they landed just on the riverbank facing a waterfall. There were stepping stones running across the stream, right in front of it._

 _"_ _Come on, Malfoy." As she guided him over to the stepping stones, she still held his hand. Malfoy made no mention of it nor did he make any move to let go. There were seven large stepping stones across the stream, each one big enough for two adults to stand on. They hopped over to the fourth stone and were faced only an arm's length away from the cascading water._

 _"_ _Where's the entrance?" He asked her._

 _"_ _This is where you take a leap of faith in me." Hermione leapt off the stone and into the water. Not a single drop fell on her, nor did she fall into the stream. Instead she landed in a wide and deep slate cave, lit by lanterns. Draco came through next to land next to her._

 _"_ _That's quite an entrance."_

 _"_ _You've seen nothing yet." They walked down the corridor and the sound of their feet echoed down._

 _"_ _I've never asked but who approached you about this project?" It interested Hermione to know how she ended working with Draco. Perhaps if they weren't thrusted into this situation, things could have been different. Perhaps there would have been a polite distance between them._

 _"_ _Richardson at the Ministry mentioned it when Justin had a meeting with him. I caught wind of it and jumped at the opportunity."_

 _"_ _Even with me on board?" She felt nervous as he stiffened up at her question._

 _"_ _I wasn't aware of your full involvement at first. But I know that any project would always benefit with your bossy brain behind it." It was a backhanded compliment if she's ever heard one, but given the way he has behaved recently, she knew it was better than what could be expected. As they drew closer to the daylight at the end of the tunnel, they could begin to hear the roars and huffs of dragons._

 _"_ _Just so you know Malfoy, your input has been valuable to this too. Also I'll warn you now – try not to faint when you see this place."_

 _They were almost at the end of the tunnel and Hermione felt a ray of sunshine peep through the clouds and bask her face in its warmth. She turned and couldn't help but grin like a Cheshire Cat at the dumbstruck look on Malfoy's handsome face. It was the expression that really made her day._

* * *

Hermione shook her head, there's no time for daydreams. She apparated from the bottom of the valley to the top cave, the long corridor which would lead back to the waterfall entrance. It was there she found Draco, next to a lantern, holding his reading glasses and a parchment, muttering to himself. He noticed the clicking of her boots echo down the corridor and he didn't bother to look up as he focused on the words in front of him. Being a company president these days required a certain amount of charisma and memorizing speeches. He's proud that he made the job look effortless but truthfully he tries to work whenever he can cram it in.

"Do you have any amendments on that speech? McColl wants it approved by the Ministry before tomorrow night." He rolled up the parchment and handed it to her.

"You can give him a copy, I've not made any major changes. Just some personal word choice and moving things around." She swished her wand and Draco's parchment split into two. She took the second copy of his speech.

"Thank you. There's also the issue with the press packages. Can you come down and check with our interns?" He nodded to her request, noticing how she wore a loose bun today and gave him a lovely view of the soft skin usually under that hair. In many ways, he's excited to see the results of their work together.

This project could help in turning the Malfoy fortunes but in some ways he's relieved that this will all end soon. Being in close proximity to Hermione Granger has led him to think of her in a new light, but he's at a crossroad where he's confused on what to believe is the authentic Hermione Granger. Was it the bossy know-it-all who works at the Ministry, matron of virtue, his antagonist? Or was it the witty, sensual and passionate woman he met in Japan?

They strolled down the corridor and a crescent lush valley opened up to them, the jagged ridges acted as menacing walls for three unmistakable Welsh green dragons. Huge slabs of slate formed steps leading down to the bottom of the valley where the greenery gave way to grey slate sheets and the caves were the dragons could go. Draco has been impressed by the scenery all week but it was the view next to him that really took his breath away. "I love my job." He heard her whisper.

He would be hard-pressed to ever forget that infectious smile and the sparkle in those brown eyes. Whatever confusion he had earlier about Hermione Granger, it was all so clear now. Bossy Hermione and Jean were one and the same person. It's just not many people got to deeply understand her. Like the papers and gossip placed her on a pedestal as the goddess of virtue and justice. He got to feel what underpins all of that virtue – passion. It made his heart swell and he couldn't help but feel some level of gratitude for her passion. It reminded him to take awe of the incredible magical world he lived in.

They passed Mrs Khan on the long stairway, who has coaxed the fairies to stay among the twisting vines for tomorrow. Artemis was in the middle of decorating the cresent-shaped stage with banners, hedgerow and more fairies. The chairs are placed around the stage by a team of Hogwarts interns. The press packages are currently being packed by another group of Hogwarts interns. These iridescent navy boxes were to be filled with leaflets, animated soft toys of Nifflers (which won't destroy the home), fiery chilli chocolate dragons, Kappa-shaped fizzes, Hippogriff sugar quills and Ashwinder frozen eggs. All of these were set on a bed of petals and vines and the whole box was tied with a thick black ribbon.

Draco laid eyes on the assembly line and immediately saw the sloppy handiwork. He made everyone stop what they were doing with a stern shout, like the way his late godfather used to.

"These are unacceptable for our guests. I will demonstrate how to do this one more time so watch carefully before I send you back to Hogwarts with no reference letter." He waved his wand and unwrapped a completed box. "Do not push down the petals or vines. You will make a crushed mess. Next the toys need to upright like so." More souvenirs flew and landed perfectly into the box. "Tuck the leaflets and sugar quill into the gaps here and don't bend a corner in the leaflet. Redo all these boxes precisely or you will be back at Hogwarts before you utter the word 'internship'." He walked away with a swish of his robes as the group of students looked horrified at the already made hundreds of boxes. He expects nothing but perfection.

"Draco, I need to speak to you now about another issue." He looked at Hermione who he has ignored while he was outraged by the teenagers' shoddy workmanship. She indicated towards the newly built hut which is now the sanctuary's new visitor centre. An approved extension charm has been cast so that it's a much larger place inside than it looks from the outside. She opened the door to the medical room and locked it after Draco went inside. The unmistakable smell of her wrapped around him in the small room. He watched her turn towards him with her arms crossed, her brows knitted close together in a frown. Was there a need to discuss whatever's important in such a private space?

"I know you are under pressure but you need to stop behaving like a total arse towards the interns." He almost laughed at her.

"Bit hypocritical, coming from such an infamous perfectionist. Also they are Hogwarts students who need to learn what the real workplace is like."

"Just because I'm an overachiever doesn't mean I treat my staff like crap. And like you said they're students, cut them some slack. We all made mistakes as teenagers."

This conversation didn't feel like it's about the work, but a personal attack. He stepped closer to her, towering her as she craned her neck to stare up at him with a determined and soft mouth.

"What is honestly your problem Granger? You pretend to be a concerned team player but you take every opportunity to undermine my authority."

They stood there, daring each other to speak. It was a war of wills, who will lay their heart out first. It started to dawn on Draco that whatever feelings he had was for Hermione, he had clung to them hopelessly. She doesn't respect him as the person he has become, she doesn't see him as a potential lover or maybe boyfriend. She still sees the bullying teenager of her youth. She still judges him as the former death eater, who one should be cautious with. There's no hope that she will return any fondness that he felt for her.

"If you'll excuse me, I don't have all day to stand around. We have a lot of work to do." He snapped.

"You're right Draco." He was so surprised. Did the most stubborn and opinionated woman he knows just agree with him?

"I haven't treated you fairly since we've started working together. It wasn't easy knowing who you are after… the dates we went on." He could see a slight blush has crept up Hermione's graceful neck.

This is the first time that they are having a conversation about their dates, about them. Why is the collar of his robes suddenly so tight?

"Hermione," he paused, was he ready to tell her that he tried to keep his distance since he figured out they slept with each other? Was he ready to say he was and still is attracted to everything about her? Can he say he's almost ready to give up holding a candle to her?

"I've not been fair to you too." This was all he could muster to say. His hands were clasped behind his back, afraid he might grab her stiff shoulders or snap her rigid posture as he pull her into his arms. She's often tense in his presence, especially when he wasn't Orion in her eyes.

"You seemed so much more relaxed when you thought I was somebody else."

Her soft lips opened as she was about to respond, when a knock interrupted and someone shouted through the door.

"Hermione. Are you in there? The abraxans and their trainers are here."

When Draco looked into her lovely chocolate eyes, her mouth became a thin grin line. "Well Draco Malfoy, I'm glad we can settle this like professional colleagues." Hermione rebuffed as she stepped past him, before she unlocked the door and left the medical room.

"Have you shown them to the stables? We can keep them there until the end of the gala." Her voice fell into the distance.

Draco followed them out and Justin had just sent Hermione off across the sanctuary. The classy boy looked at him inquisitively, before he whipped an envelope out of his breast pocket and offered it to Draco.

"What's this?"

"A chance to bring a nice date tomorrow evening. Find someone who would look good on the front page or something." Justin's quill magically ticked off a line on his long checklist. Usually Draco keeps small talk with his subordinates to a minimum, but despite the incredibly long list, Justin looked around them to see if anyone was around to overhear, before he whispered.

"The best way to move on from someone is to move on." Justin dashed off as soon as he rendered Draco speechless and before he finds himself hexed by his boss. Were his feelings for Hermione that obvious? Or was Justin a nosy snooper? He glanced at the envelope with his name carefully written on it. Once this is all over, he will eventually learn to treat Hermione Granger as a distant acquaintance. He can start practicing with a date tomorrow.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Thank you to everyone who's still reading and has left a review. I read them like they are precious sparklets of inspiration.**

 **The My Little Pony toy is an homage to my best friend's daughter who loves them and is the only thing that I can think of that's tiny but significant enough to be a portkey. I also remember when an old boss of mine made my colleagues and I repack some 200 boxes for a press event the night before an event. It's the sort of wretched thing I would imagine Draco would make someone do.**

 **Hope you all enjoyed it, I'm working on future chapters and will have something to post in 2 weeks. Let me know what you thought. :-)**


	8. Public Presentation

An homage to the fantastic magical world of JK Rowlings' imagination. Therefore it's suffice to say that I don't have ownership over it.

I'd also like to thank my new and brilliant beta **TriDogMom**. She has given this chapter the extra polish it needed. Please send praise in her direction.

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 **Public Presentation**

Hermione had probably shaken more hands in her lifetime than anyone she knew, with the exception of possibly her best friend Harry. Today is one of those days where her elbow might feel a little more achy, her hand more greasy, and her hair had more sleek n' easy product than usual. Especially when she had positioned herself at the bottom of the slate stone stairs to greet people as they arrived. So many guests from all over the world; ambassadors, Ministry officials, the National Trust sponsors, hotel owners, and worst of all - journalists.

"Miss Granger. Pleasure to see you again." Hermione couldn't help but grit her teeth at Rita Skeeter with her quill and pad ready. "Who are you wearing today?" The nosy reporter asked in a sickeningly sweet way. Hermione glanced down at her simple black and bronze evening robes and resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the frivolous question.

"I can't recall exactly who made this dress. However, many fantastic British businesses are involved with the Ministry in making this place happen. Are you aware that Weasley's Wizard Wheezes produce most of the children's toys sold here, with 40% of the proceeds going towards funding the protection of Magical Creatures?" Rita Skeeter pursed her lips at the diverted line of topic.

"Weren't you dating Ron Weasley, brother of the business founders? Is there a ' _special_ ' relationship between the two of you?" Hermione resisted the urge to smack the reporter for hounding her about her personal life.

"My friendships are still strong and personal. Thank you for asking. We will start soon, so please take a seat before all the ones at the front are taken." The reporter squinted her beetle eyes and walked away. She wasn't going to dish any dirt on Hermione today.

The line shuffled along and she shook hands with a straight-faced Minister of Magical Sports and Games, Barnaby Lee.

"My congratulations on your work so far Miss Granger. I hope the public will be gracious towards this pet project of yours." He said as she shook his hand. Hermione forced a smile on her face at his scathing remark, she couldn't wait to rub that smugness off his face with the Daily Prophet tomorrow morning.

"Thank you, I hope you'll enjoy tonight as much as everyone else will." She turned her head to his companion. A tall and broad-shouldered man with dark brown curly hair and an affectionate smile.

"This is my assistant, Rolfe Shepherds. He used to play for the Moutohora Macaws but now he's catching my memos instead of Quaffles." He joked as gave the burly man a heavy pat on the back which didn't seem to budge him at all.

"Good evening Miss Granger. It's a pleasure to meet you." He spoke softly as he offered a large hand to her.

"Nice to meet you too." She thought he seemed very nice compared to his brash boss.

"Were you trained in caring for dragons yourself?" He asked, his voice was deep but gentle.

"Not particularly, I leave that to the experts. Although I did ride one many years ago." He gave her a lopsided grin.

"Well I hope I get to hear that story another day." Rolfe didn't look her in the eye as he followed his boss to the chairs to be seated. She thought he seemed nice and unfortunate to be working for such an odious man.

* * *

Hermione was making small talk with Mr. Inoue, who kindly came from Japan for the launch, when a large commotion of flashing cameras and reporters firing off questions started behind her. She saw the tall and immaculate Draco Malfoy, wearing perfectly tailored black dress robes, nodding at all the different cameras. His hair was perfectly groomed and he looked as handsome as ever. Her stomach twisted in knots as she saw how he tightly held the hand of an equally well dressed and elegant brunette.

"How long have you been dating Miss Greengrass?" A reporter asked.

"Miss Greengrass, do you have any pets yourself?" Another shouted.

"Mr Malfoy, did your father give his blessing from Azkaban?" Rita asked as she needled her way through the throng. The gut-wrenching feeling, the crush of the reporters, and the blinding flashes were too much for Hermione to handle. She excused herself from Mr. Inoue and asked a pair of Hogwarts interns to greet and seat people.

This evening was supposed to be about her work at the Ministry, a milestone in her career as part of her mission to reform the wizarding world into a more equal society. Somehow Malfoy had stolen not only her attention, but the press's as well with his ridiculous dating life. Not that she cared if he's dating other people.

She tried to calm herself beside the stage, and waited for everyone to be seated, including Astoria Greengrass who relished the attention. Hermione glared at the brunette's snobbishness.

"Concentrate Granger. We have a job to do." Draco surprised her from behind. Did he catch her glaring at his date? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inadvertently inhaling his cologne. She needed to focus on her speech and for the butterflies in her stomach to settle down.

"I'm not the one who's distracting the press with my frivolous love life." She snapped. The infuriating blond only smirked at her.

"Green doesn't suit you Granger. Stick to reds."

He cleared his throat as he looked around the venue. Everything looked all in place now. "For what it's worth, thank you for the opportunity to work with you." He held out his hand and Hermione felt like she couldn't begrudge him a professional handshake.

"Well I appreciate all of your contribution too." Her hand met his, then he pressed his lips onto it. It felt warm and heart breaking.

She resisted the urge to brush his kiss off her hand as she sent a Patronus to Artemis, who was back stage waiting for the command. "Ready to start whenever you are."

As all the lamps were extinguished, a hush swept across the anticipated audience. The Welshback dragons thundered in their caves and a cascade of firework dragons soared through the sky, eliciting a chorus of awe and applause. Hermione walked on the crescent-shaped stage to more applause, the spotlights in the stage were so bright, she couldn't make out the faces in front of her. In some ways it made her feel better that she couldn't make out any individual faces.

"Good evening witches and wizards. Thank you for coming tonight, near and far. I'm Hermione Granger, from the department of Regulation and Protection of Magical Creatures."

She took a deep breath to pause. "For centuries, Britain's native species have been under threat from habitat loss, poaching, neglect, or even ideological genocide."

The sanctuary remained silent, eagerly hanging on to her every word.

"The direction we have been taking could mean extinction of whole species of Magical Creatures. Could you imagine a world where simple potions can't be brewed anymore because there are no more dragons to shed their hide? Or where bowtruckles no longer protect wand trees and leave those trees unprotected from deforestation?

What if I told you, we can reverse the inevitable extinction? We can save many species so that witches and wizards could enjoy them for future generations to come. The Ministry of Magic is proud to launch the National Trust of Magical Creatures. Our new program focuses on the protection and raised awareness of Magical Creatures. We are working in partnership with businesses and schools to bring witches and wizards closer to native British species in a way that is safe, educational, and above all - exhilarating. To tell you all about the Ministry's business liaisons. I'm going to pass over to the president of our biggest sponsor Pendragon Travel Agency, Draco Malfoy."

Draco Malfoy flew over everyone's head and onto the stage on a magnificent grey Granian winged horse. There was a distinctive gasp of surprise at his grand entrance. The horse allowed him to dismount before trotting down the stage and along the aisle of spectators to the back.

"Thank you. Could everyone please give a round of applause to Hermione Granger, without her brilliance, none of this would have been possible." Hermione would have felt embarrassed by the public applause if she didn't catch him smirk at her. She knew he would soon have the crowd eating from the palm of his hand. Draco presented himself confidently on stage, his now chiselled face looked determined and proud. Hermione admired that he was never one to cower under the limelight.

"It's with great pleasure, as the president of Pendragon – Britain's largest magical travel company, to be a part of the Ministry's new initiative. No longer will you have to navigate through a minefield of hotel research, portkey paperwork, or even muggle-adaptation. We will offer witches and wizards the exciting opportunity to have a truly magicalholiday. Whether it's an affordable family-friendly holiday trip, or a luxurious romantic getaway, let Pendragon take you on an adventure. But rather than listening to me tell you all about it, let us show you."

Hermione waved her wand and a fog appeared between the stage and the audience. A special projector she designed shone light onto the fog like it was a screen. The light projected a small niffler sniffing and searching across the stage, to the awes of the crowd. It started to move across the smoke but the smoke changed into different silhouettes of unicorns attempting to run it off. It rolled along as it was headbutted by porlocks to the laughter of the audience. The accompanied music turned ominous as a dragon lurked behind it and barely escaped the beast's flames. The audience gasped and screamed as real flames blew into the air above their heads.

Hermione felt so elated by how well this is going so far, she couldn't help but give a smile at the man on stage next to her. The blond didn't have his normal stern look, but his eyes softened as the corner of his lip tightened into an almost grin in response. Despite everything, they managed to work together and accomplish this. Even if the press and the public hated the National Trust tomorrow, Hermione was grateful that she had grown enough to work amicably with Draco Malfoy. Perhaps cordial acquaintances was the best status for their relationship. It was a bittersweet thought.

In the fog, the niffler scurried across and was tickled by bowtruckles, emitting a hum of chuckles, and the fog started to dwindle. A real niffler timidly scuttled onto the stage, its nose sniffing around as the audience thundered with applause.

Hermione stood next to Draco in front of the audience, the niffler keen to jump off the stage and swipe all the sparkly jewellery and watches , was only held back by a magical shield.

"We hope you got a taste of what you can experience here at the National Trust of Magical Creatures. You are always welcome back to visit by simply booking through Pendragon Travel Agency or at the Ministry of Magic." She turned to Draco, who nodded.

"At midnight we will launch competition for a prize draw, where one lucky family will win an all-inclusive trip to any National Trust Sanctuary. Including travel to and from the Sanctuary, and a stay at a Pendragon Exclusive boutique hotel . All you have to do is to find a real gold coin under the foil wrapper of any National Trust branded Niffler chocolate coin. These can be purchased at your favourite sweet shop or through postal order."

"Today, one of you in the audience possess one of these golden coins hidden around your seat," Draco held up an abnormally large gold coin in the air for all to see. The anticipation was thick in the air as everyone tried to have a good look at the coin.

"Remember, whoever finds the lucky coin will win one of all-inclusive trips to any National Trust sanctuary for themselves and their family. Please allow Nigel, our Niffler to find it for you." Hermione pointed at Nigel with her wand, which gave an excited look at the possibility of being let out of his bubble. The audience murmured in excitement of being the one with the prized golden coin.

"Please sit tight witches and wizards as the search begins!"

The bubble burst and the round Niffler leapt into the audience and smiled at the squeal of some witches. He was tempted to steal the shiny buckles from one of the witches shoes until he remembered he had a job to do. Nigel didn't stay long as he darted in and out of between people's legs. He caused a great raucous thrill as people bent their heads this way and that watching the Niffler squeeze past them. Until the furry thing crawled on top of some witch's ostentatiously pink hat and tried to stuff the most over-sized gold coin into his pouch. Hermione accio'd the ecstatic Nigel back and Draco invited the witch on stage. The niffler was once again safely (and reluctantly) contained in a magical bubble as Hermione extracted the gold coin out of it.

The witch in question grinned from ear to ear as she smoothed out her robes and her now rumpled pink hat. She was bombarded with flashes and puffs of smoke from the cameras as she walked onto the stage.

"Congratulations to Mrs. Dimblebee; her and her family will be the National Trust's first ever guests. I'd like to ask if the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, will kindly present the prize to our lucky winner."

Hermione guided the witch to the front of the stage as Shacklebolt swept onto the stage. He looked immensely happy as he shook the lady's hand and handed over the large coin to the witch. Hermione was sandwiched tightly between Shacklebolt and Malfoy. They were surrounded by her boss, Constance McColl, and other heads of Ministry. They all shuffled a lot and Shacklebolt almost stepped on her toes. She felt a warm hand on the small of her back as it guided her closer to an empty space and closer to Malfoy.

"Thanks," she mumbled, but his hand never left her back. The synchronised flashes of cameras went on for what felt like forever and she could feel his hand burning an imprint onto her skin.

Finally, the photographers had their fill and were refreshing themselves with the trays of free drinks and canapés being offered around. The Ministry heads mingled with other ambassadors and reporters.

Hermione spotted her boss McColl fidgeting with his butterbeer in the corner and directing people in her direction. It was well known that he was averse to networking. And so it wasn't long until the distance between herself and Malfoy expanded with people who wanted to congratulate her.

She briefly hugged Luna Lovegood who came on the behalf of the Quibbler and wanted to feature the National Trust on their next edition. Her hand was shaken a few times again by ambassadors from MACUSA, the French Ministry, the Magical Republic of China, the Magical Diet of Japan and many more.

Hermione finally managed to detangle herself from the throng to use the bathroom. But only after she squeezed through excited guests who were purchasing the new merchandise at the souvenir shop. When she came out of her toilet cubicle, the only person facing the bathroom mirror was none other than the tall brunette she had no interest in meeting.

"My congratulations on your work Miss Granger." Astoria offered politely. Hermione still caught the patronising side look as she tried to readjust some pins in her sleek n' easy laden hair.

"Thank you for coming. Although this must be a rather dull and unusual first date for you."

"Oh no. You're quite mistaken Miss Granger." The auburn willow had a smug smile on her face, as she opened her lipstick. "Draco and I are very _familiar_ with each other."

It left an uneasy feeling with Hermione. "That is most unfortunate for you." She didn't really want to know how close they were.

"Not at all, he knows how to please." With that Astoria packed away her lipstick and left the bathroom.

Hermione took longer than she usually would, adjusted the invisible creases from her dress, and washed her hands again. Anything that meant she could delay seeing the public when her heart was in turmoil. But her responsibilities beckoned, the guests needed to be looked after; they waited outside for her, expecting a brilliant and sociable witch. She looked in the mirror, staring at it to harden her heart and force a smile. Then she left the bathroom to face the public.

* * *

A/N: Thank you everyone for reading, following, bookmarking and reviewing. It means so much to me.

Thank you again TriDogMom for beta-ing this chapter.

I hope you all enjoyed the show and I can't wait to release the next chapter for you all. See you in two weeks time!


	9. Smokes and Appearances

TRIGGER WARNING! This chapter contains sexual/violent content.

All my thanks to Tridogmom who made this chapter possible.

 **Chapter 9**

 **Smokes and Appearances**

To the untrained eye the Ministry of Magic operated as normal for a Friday. Employees shuffled and crammed into the elevators, memo planes flitted overhead. However, the gossip of the day was abuzz about the nation's new favourite star – Nigel the niffler.

Witches cooed over his infectious grin and cheeky attitude. While older wizards muttered amongst each other on strategies for amassing the most amount of the already-sold out gold coins – to appease their family's demand. All of this had made Hermione's journey to the fifth floor a great one where people smiled, nodded and congratulated her. Despite the drama of last night, she was determined to make it a positive day.

When she entered the office, Mrs. Khan was already there cutting out articles from a tall stack of newspapers which threatened to collapse onto the petite woman.

"Good morning. Didn't I tell you to come in later today?" Hermione teasingly critiqued.

"You did dear, but my husband still expected his breakfast and packed lunch as usual." Mrs. Khan replied as she discarded a newspaper and reached the top of the pile for a new one. Hermione considered the older colleague's ideas of marriage a bit archaic. Surely with the ease of magic, a wizard should be adept enough to make his own food! Nevertheless, she knew cooking was Mrs. Khan's source of pride, so she couldn't condemn it. Especially when Mrs. Khan regularly brought home-cooked food for the team.

Hermione transfigured a ruler into a pair of scissors and helped with the press cuttings. Soon Justin and Artemis walked in the office zombie-like; Artemis clutching a large cup of coffee and Justin sporting sunglasses.

"Late night last night?" Mrs. Khan asked with a mischievous grin.

"We celebrated after we cleaned up." Justin said as he collapsed in his chair and rested his head on a pillow of old newspapers.

"You didn't think to choose celebrating the evening after, which happens to be a Friday night?" Hermione pointed out.

"Serendipity Hermione." Artemis took a deep drink of her coffee. A large eagle flew into the room and dropped a letter with the Malfoy seal on it. Mrs. Khan opened the letter and read it aloud.

 _"_ _Dear team,_

 _I'm unable to come into the Ministry today. Please prepare all evidence to evaluate for Monday morning._

 _\- Malfoy."_

"Pick up some scissors you two," Hermione said as she pointed at them with her scissors. "We have a lot of newspapers to get through."

* * *

"Good morning my friend!" Blaise stormed unannounced into Draco's office as he brandished a copy of Witches Weekly in his hand.

Draco sighed, he had barely sat down.

"What do you want Blaise?"

"I want to buy you coffee. That's the kind of caring mate I am." Draco scoffed at the remark. More like a nosy friend.

"How about I order some coffee from my secretary and you can tell me what you want to say while I start to work?" The sooner he gets the Italian to spill, the sooner he can chip away at his workload. Evidently Blaise had other ideas as he stretched himself out on one of the visitor chairs as if he was ready to lounge there all day. Draco sent a memo to his secretary for two coffees.

"Well I came to check if you were still using my gift to you. Because it seems like you won't be needing it anymore now that Astoria's in the picture."

"I do still use my phone once in a while, like the camera." Draco opened his inkpot and his letters.

"Does Astoria approve of your photography skills?" The dark Italian tapped his foot, in the most irritating fashion.

"I wouldn't know if she did. If you're trying to get all the details of my love life; there's not much to it right now. I took Astoria as a date to a very public event, I escorted her home and kissed her on the cheek goodnight. Nothing else had or will happen."

"Well it seemed a bit odd, thought you were into a Muggle girl for a while." Blaise took sudden interest in a seam on his jacket.

Draco sighed in exasperation. "My mother suggested her as a suitable last-minute guest when I told her about the event. I had work to do and I just needed someone I was acquainted with to fulfil a role."

"Is that role being a wife?" His friend teased, and Draco wanted to hex him so badly.

"No, the role of a one-time date." He started to draft some letter responses.

"Fine! But seriously where's that hot Muggle you were seeing? Jean wasn't it? Can I get her number if you're done?"

Draco almost broke his quill from pressing it too hard but had left a huge ink stain on the paper. The thought of him getting intimate with hermade his stomach churn.

"She's not right for you." He said with gritted teeth. Blaise mockingly clutched his hands to his heart, as if wounded.

"What's so flawed about me? Or what's wrong with her? Too clingy? Or was she too kinky?"

Something inside Draco finally snapped. "Shut up!" He instantly regretted barking at his friend who was taken aback by his outburst. "Sorry. She was perfect. And neither of us are deserving of her."

Blaise stared quietly at his friend, contemplative. "Why?"

He thought about it, did he want to share his dirty secret? A secret that had burdened him for so many weeks. "She's actually a witch." He gently revealed.

A quiet knock on the door. His secretary came in with a tray laden with coffee. She quietly left it on the side table and left. His dear friend strode over to the offering and helped himself to a cup. Only when he finally sat down, did he nod in understanding.

"Isn't that great news? You could have taken her last night?"

"Not at all. Especially once you know which witch she is."

"Oh fuck! It's not dear Millie Bulstrode is it?" Blaise had the cheekiest grin on his mockingly horrified face. Draco burst into laughter. It was both funny and very unfunny, especially for the poor soul who was in love with Millie.

Draco dragged the tabloid magazine towards him and saw the front cover. It was of him next to Astoria Greengrass. 'Love is in the **_heir_**!' the headline read, he scoffed at the drivel and flipped it open. Right there on the third page was Hermione Granger on stage next to Nigel. He didn't have the nerve to tell her that she looked beautiful last night, with her hair pulled up and the shimmery dress that draped over her body wonderfully. He folded the magazine so it was only her picture showing and placed it facing his friend.

His friend grasped the magazine and frowned at the picture. It took a few seconds before his eyes widened, glanced frantically between Draco and the picture.

No! You're playing with me!" If Blaise thought this was a joke, Draco only sat quietly, whilst he continued to respond to his letters.

"You can't have! Surely that one time, she would have noticed!"

"Actually, it was twice. Or three, depends on what you're counting."

Blaise laughed uncontrollably. "You're a terrible joker. I can't take you seriously."

"That's too bad, because it's true."

The laughing stopped and his friend sat blankly in a catatonic state. Draco continued his work as his friend processed this information and he sent a memo to his secretary to postpone his next meeting. This could take a while longer than he thought. Also, he preferred his friend much more in this state.

Finally, downing the remnants of his coffee Blaise stood up and began to pace the room. "Well mate, I don't know whether to congratulate or commiserate you."

"How about neither?"

"You dated the famous Hermione Granger and shagged her not only once but _three_ times!"

"Should I perform the Sonorous charm so you can broadcast that louder?"

Blaise stopped his pacing and sneered at his friend. "How the fuck did you win her over with your wanker personality?"

"If you're going to insult me in my ownoffice, then I suggest you move on."

"You're the one who tormented her and her friends."

"I did. Potter was such an asshole and Weasley was an easy insecure target."

Blaise sniggered. "Remember when we came up with Weasley is our King?"

Draco chuckled at the song, he was very proud of himself at the time for being so lyrical.

"Anyway, I really do have to get some work done. But let's get dinner at the club tonight. Perhaps we can talk about youinstead."

Blaise only smirked back, "Not a chance. Especially now that I know you slept with Hermione Granger. Ciao!" With that he waltzed out of the office in a similar fashion as he came in, unexpectedly, and made Draco feel very disgruntled.

* * *

For the first time in months Hermione had a full hour lunch break so she decided to pop over to Harry's desk to see if he was available. She saw the elevator filled with a few people and the doors about to close.

"Hold the door, please!" she shouted as she made the final leap before they closed after her.

"Miss Granger. It's nice to see you again." Greeted a low and soft voice. She glanced up the tall man and on his face. She remembered him from last night but…

"Sorry, have we met before?" She asked.

He produced a large calloused hand. "It's Rolfe Shepherds. We were introduced briefly last night by the entrance." Hermione took it and smiled.

"Yes. How are you Rolfe?" He grinned back at her.

"I'm very well Miss Granger. I have to say that last night was really incredible." She felt herself blush at the compliment.

"Please call me Hermione. And thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

"I really did. In fact, I bought several chocolate coins for my nieces and nephews. Hopefully one of them wins the competition." He responded with a deep rumble of delight.

"I wish them good luck." Hermione responded politely.

The door opened, and both Hermione and Rolfe had to step to the side to let everyone out. He shifted a lot from side to side and shook out his shoulders.

"I hope this isn't too forward, but would you be interested in a drink some time?" He asked as the elevator door closed and they were alone.

Hermione was a bit surprised and thought about it. She noted he was squarer-jawed and possibly more rugged than she normally went for, but he was still a fairly handsome man. As she promised herself when she woke up, she would make today a positive day. This included taking a chance on new opportunities.

"That sounds lovely. How about next Friday?" She suggested

"Great! I can meet you in the Atrium, say 6 o'clock?" Rolfe asked with a lop-sided grin.

The elevator door opened onto the Atrium and Hermione turned to him, "Well, see you next week!" She confirmed.

Hermione stepped out of the elevator as three witches with enormous hats entered. Rolfe towered over them with his broad shoulders, waving shyly as the elevator door closed between them. As her father used to say to her when she was learning to ride a bike. "When you fall down, you just got to pick yourself back up and try again." Now that work would be returning to a normal routine again, she would have to give dating another try. This time there would be no concealment involved.

* * *

Hermione was ready to face her Monday morning meeting with gusto. She had enjoyed a lovely weekend at Grimmauld Place, ate Sunday roast, and even had an amicable afternoon with Ron. She told him about her upcoming date and he was seemingly nice about it. He updated her about the new things George invented at the joke shop, how busy he was in the past two days selling Nigel the Niffler stock, and his plans to travel to all the Chudley Cannons' away games. She felt good that after a few years, she and Ron could look back at their puppy love fondly as something that was naïve, adorable, and not meant to be. She had told Ron she would always love him as part of her family and as her best friend, after taking his sweet stubborn time to reflect on his own feelings he realized he reciprocated her feelings.

The tabloids loved to discuss their 'love life' and whether they were on or off. The idea that she might still be with Ron intimidated so many wizards, which had caused Hermione resort to concealment charms and Tinder to find a few nice Muggle guys to date. No tabloids, no drama. Who could find fault in that?

She thought she was the first to arrive in the office but sitting there was the impeccably dressed man she wished to move on from.

"Good morning." She offered politely.

"Morning." Draco responded curtly.

Adverting her eyes from him, she busied herself with taking out the parchments she needed and meticulously arranged stationery around her desk. The room was silent excluding the shuffling of parchment, and the sound of their breathing. There was nothing else to arrange, so she sat still. Glancing over to the blonde, she saw he had his glasses on and his eyes were fixated on the Daily Prophet, but they weren't reading the pages. She knew they didn't have to talk to each other unless necessary, but it still felt awkward.

To her relief, Artemis and Mrs. Khan walked into the office and she joined in with their small talk about the weekend. She glanced over and Draco looked more relaxed with the additional company as he poured out cups of tea for them. Not long after, Justin arrived in his usual chirpy, debonair mood and their first meeting of the day started.

Standing from his seat at the head of the table, Draco looked at all of them. "Hopefully you have all recovered from the busy few weeks we've had, but there is still work to do. Let's start today with an evaluation of the public's response. Who has the report?"

Artemis put her hand up as she opened her folder. "We had a total of one hundred and twenty-seven reporters from around the world on Thursday night. Ninety-three mentioned Pendragon in an article to some extent. I've got a breakdown on the average word count, article position, and the papers reach that day."

"Good. How many of these articles were positive?"

Justin responded with the numbers. "Fifty-five of these were positive, twenty-six were neutral, nine were sceptical and three were negative."

Draco nodded and Hermione understood that while this was good news, it wasn't the perfect score she had hoped.

"It's pretty good for the first stage of the campaign, but we need to target those of neutral and negative opinions with press releases and monitor their changes. Who wants to head up that project?" Justin raised his hand. "Thank you"

"Now, Mrs. Khan and Hermione, do you have the stats on the donation funds and revenue?"

"We have received orders for approximately three million chocolate coins since Friday. Bringing around ten thousand and forty Galleons in revenue towards The National Trust from the sale of coins alone." Hermione read from her carefully written notes.

"I received an owl from the dragon sanctuary this morning. They have almost sold out of their Nigel the Niffler toys and piggy banks. I have already responded to that news with a fresh purchase order with Mr. Weasley." Mrs. Khan interjected.

Draco took off his glasses carefully and smiled at everyone. "This is a good start and while we have made substantial revenue for the National Trust, we still have a lot of work to do."

Reaching into the bag beside him, he pulled out a bottle of chilled champagne.

"I'd like to propose a toast."

Justin and Artemis cheered loudly whilst Hermione and Mrs. Khan clapped politely. Justin wasted no time in conjuring up some flutes while Draco popped the cork and started pouring.

Once everyone had a glass, Draco raised his.

"Thank you all for the hard work you have put in to this project. Justin and Artemis, you both will have bonuses at the end of this quarter. Mrs. Khan, since you're a Ministry employee I can't give you a bonus, but you have been invaluable to the team. Instead I want send you and your family on an all-expenses paid stay at whichever one of my resorts you choose. Cheers."

Mrs. Khan shrieked with joy. Everyone raised their glasses and Hermione let the delicious, crisp, dry elixir ripple down her throat.

"And last, but not least, to Hermione. The most brilliant and hard-working pioneer of our times. I speak for all of us when I say that you're the great visionary behind all this." His silver eyes pierced through her as he spoke.

"Here, here!" Justin shouted and everyone toasted to her.

"Finally, I have an announcement." Draco's smile disappeared and Hermione's instinct told her it wasn't good.

"As the rest of the campaign has been thoroughly planned. I see no need for my input and

therefore, I will be taking a step back from the project after today." He raised his glass one last time. "Good luck."

It was a melancholic toast, Hermione could see how Justin, Artemis and Mrs. Khan were affected, even knowing from the beginning he wouldn't be a permanent team member, given he has an entire company to run. Hermione didn't know what to think or feel. All these months, she had been angry, confused, upset, and admired this handsome man and now he would be out of the picture. It felt like a bittersweet end to their tumultuous relationship.

* * *

The week had flown by and Hermione had felt a sense of emptiness in her working day. Perhaps it was the reduced workload from not planning a large launch event or perhaps it was the empty chair at the head of the large conference table. Either way, the changes meant she had more energy to look forward to tonight. Not only because it's the start of another weekend, but also her first date with Rolfe, someone new.

As the week went on, the excitement built up slowly like a gently simmering cauldron. It bubbled to the top yet did not boil over. The Ministry clock rang six o'clock and the scrapping of chairs and rustling of parchments rolling themselves away echoed throughout the building. It's finally the weekend.

She whipped out her wand and everything packed itself away on her desks. Her feet carried her into the Atrium and even with the bustle of leaving employees, it was easy to see the large, square-jawed, handsome man who shifted nervously on his feet as he waited.

Rolfe Shepherds caught her coming towards him and gave her a lopsided grin.

"You look well Miss Granger."

"Hey! How are you?" She asked politely.

"Relieved it's the weekend. You?" He studied her up and down with his hazel eyes.

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Come on Hermione. Smile then." He said with a lopsided grin and she forced herself to grin back at him but it irked her a little. She brushed off that feeling as she was still trying to have a positive attitude about everything.

"I thought we could have a few drinks at this new bar on Diagon Alley if that's ok with you?" He asked.

She agreed as they made their way to the Apparition point. She felt his large hand capture one of hers and the familiar tug of side-along Apparition. Another twinge of annoyance ran through her. She disliked being the side-along, but she hated not being forewarned first even more. They landed in Diagon Alley which was crowded with the after-work crowd.

"Tell me about yourself Rolfe." She asked as he guided her through the street. They arrived at a dimly lit modern bar with an Art Deco decor in blacks, gold, and marble. There was no name on the sign to indicate what it was called just an illustration of a spirit bottle and a juniper branch within it.

"I'll tell you all about it over a drink." He said in a softly firm manner.

The bar was already half full and Rolfe led them to an empty table at the back. A few people glanced their way but continued with their conversations. As she took in her surroundings she could see a few tables were occupied by pairs and small groups of three.

"I've been told this place specialises in cocktails with a magical twist. What would you like to try?" He offered.

"That's exciting." Looking at the drink menu she wasn't sure what to choose. "Why don't you surprise me?" He smiled before he went up to the bar.

Sitting alone, she smoothed her hands over her hair and checked to make sure her curly hair was still in its low ponytail as her nerves fluttered in her stomach. It's been a while since she went on a first date, perhaps these jitters are due to a lack of practice. Or should she make an excuse to go home now? She wasn't impressed yet, in fact was pretty annoyed with his behavior so far. She hushed down those feelings of hesitance. If anything, Hermione is a determined person and she's determined to give this opportunity a chance. Despite her gripes earlier, she might like him more once she gets to know him.

Rolfe returned with a tray which held a pair of bell jars, one filled with grey smoke and the other was filled with a light purple glow. They were like nothing she had seen before.

"Those aren't drinks, are they?" She joked.

"The grey one is called Hidden Hunter and the purple one is called Violet Bloom. Which do you prefer?" Rolfe offered.

"I'll take the Violet Bloom if you don't mind."

Lifting the purple bell jar, the glow transfigured into a hundred violet petals that scattered in a flurry before all but one disappeared. Springing up around the petal, a champagne flute filled with a creamy lavender-hued liquid perched precariously on the wooden base of the jar. The petal smoothly transformed into a full violet flower that delicately floated on the bubbles to rest on the foamy top.

"That is an incredible display of magic. It was so beautiful I almost don't want to drink it." It amazed her that such creativity went into a single concoction.

"Let's see what this one is like." Rolfe glanced at her mischievously before he slowly lifted the other bell jar. The grey smoke clumped together in a tight ball and Hermione wondered if that was all there was. She shrieked back as a wolf's jaw snapped close to her nose and it howled loud and clear before the smoke dissipated.

Rolfe chuckled at her. "I'm sorry. I was warned that would happen, but I wanted to see your reaction." It was a cruel joke of his to play on her. It reminded her of Fred and George.

"That's absolutely not fair!" She protested as her heart pounded hard against her chest, attempting to escape. She took a sip of the purple glass and the floral and peppery taste tingled her palette. It soothed down her throat and calmed her nerves. While it gave her a startling fright, Hermione figured Rolfe had a playful nature to him. Which she knew she lacked at times.

"Now, why don't you sit down and let's have a normal conversation to get to know each other." Rolfe's eyes glinted in the light as he slowly sank into the bar stool opposite her. He sipped his drink and gazed at her intently.

"What would you like to talk about Miss Granger?"

"Hermione. And let's talk about what brought you to England?" Taking another sip of her drink.

"What can I say, I was born in Essex but I went to school in New Zealand when my parents moved there 20 years ago. I played quidditch professionally until I retired early due to injury. I heard the British Ministry of Magic had positions open in the Department of Sports so I moved here for the work. Have you ever been to New Zealand?"

"No, only to Australia. Does that count?" She asked lightheartedly.

Chuckling and taking a drink of his cocktail, "They're not that close to each other and entirely different places. Did you have a good time in Australia?"

"Not particularly." Hermione said bluntly.

"Did you come across any of the scary spiders?" He joked.

"That's ridiculous. I'm not afraid of spiders, even poisonous ones." She took a deep hesitant breath, "If you must know, I tried to retrieve my parents after I obliviated their memories of me during the war. I failed to get them back. In some ways, you can say I'm an orphan."

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't know! That's very insensitive of me!"

Shrugging off the dull pain that always came when she talked about her parents, "You wouldn't have known. It's fine. Tell me about the school there."

Rolfe told her of the school in New Zealand, a large labyrinth of treehouse structures that was hidden in the mountains, and escapades he had as a playful teenager. Hermione couldn't contain her own curiosity and the comparisons between his schooling and hers at Hogwarts.

Realizing they had both finished their cocktails, Rolfe stood "How about I get us another round? No surprises this time."

"Yes please." And was only half teasingly when she added, "I'll walk out if there's another surprise." Smiling, he walked to the bar and returned with two highball glasses filled with something peachy and full of ice. No bell jars, no smoke, no tricks. Hermione felt her shoulders relax at the normal drink.

"Thank you. Not just for the drinks, but for bringing me here." She smiled at his angular face which had tightened at her compliment.

"The pleasure is truly all mine. This might sound silly, but I can't believe I'm on a date with the brightest witch of our times, Hermione Granger."

Pushing down the thought that he was only taking her out because of her fame, she lifted her glass to clink theirs together before she took a long sip. Even though it was a sensational cocktail, the perfect balance of tangy and sweet, she noticed how he barely touched his. Perhaps he's more nervous about this date than she was?

Breaking the silence, he asked "Would you like to hear how I was once almost killed by a kangaroo?"

"That sounds like a death-defying story. Tell me about it." She did enjoy a good thrilling tale that was not her own.

Gazing at him as he started to describe one of his summer holidays in Australia, she could see his lips moving she couldn't understand what he was saying. Like when someone turns down the volume on telly but you can still see the characters talking. Except this wasn't telly, it's happening to her now.

"Sorry Rolfe, can you say that again?" She could hear her own voice and her eyes focused hard on the firm lips, moving and flashing perfect white teeth. The rushing sound of blood flowing through her body became louder than rapid rivers. Hermione felt her head pounding in the confusion and a build-up of panic. Something was defiantly wrong with her.

Looking at him intensely, she grabbed Rolfe's hand. "I need to go home right now." At least that is what she thought she said. She could feel her mouth moving and the air in her vocal chords, but she could no longer hear her own voice.

His brows furrowed, and his hand held hers tightly and mouthed 'OK' to her.

Standing too quickly her vision started to spin and she was hit with an intense wave of vertigo. Her knees were weak and buckled under her, she felt a firm arm wrap around her waist and keep her upright. Hermione was terrified. What was happening to her? Feeling her breathing start to become erratic as panic washed over her, she knew she was no longer thinking straight and needed to get home.

Cool air rippled across her skin as Rolfe guided her outside the bar. Sucking in the chill in the hopes it would sober her the darkness of the alley seemed to grow deeper before her eyes.

Feeling the tug in her belly of side-along Apparition her disorientation and panic had worsened. She felt herself sink onto a soft leather sofa.

Her sofa had a herringbone wool textured fabric.

Where was she?

Rolfe didn't know where she lived.

Had he brought her to his place?

Broad, warm hands enveloped her cheeks and her eyes focused on a pair of green ones looking back at her. The feel of his hand stroking her hair did not lessen her feeling of unease, instead it made the hairs on the nape of her neck stand up.

Her vision was coming in and out, even though she couldn't seem to focus on anything even when it wasn't black. Reaching out trying to get a grasp on something real and solid in this state of disassociation, she felt him grasp her hand.

The spinning was growing worse the longer she remained seated, so she laid back on the sofa hoping it would go away. She felt him lay down beside her and while he still held one hand, the other moved from her hair to rub her shoulder.

She felt the pressure of him moving much to close to her and the sensation of warm lips slithering across her neck.

"Stop it." Once again, she felt her lips move but she couldn't hear herself say anything. Beyond the sound of her pounding heart she still felt deaf. Feeling him roll her on to her back, she was trapped beneath the heavy weight of his body. He had let go of her hand and she felt him snake it under her to cup her ass.

The terror shocked her as he forcefully rocked his erection against her clothed groin. The man was becoming more aggressive with the kisses on her neck, harshly sucking, biting, and licking from her ear to her collarbone.

Her hearing returned when she realised the loud growl he emitted against her neck.

"Be a good girl and take my cock." He barked. His calloused hand ripped open her blouse and burned her bare skin.

"You will enjoy this when you let this happen." Hermione felt cold fear envelope her. This cannot be happening.

"No!"

Pain ripped through her throat as she screamed.

 **Help!** Reaching out her free hand on instinct, she felt her magic spark in her fingertips and something smacked into the palm of her hand. Her wand, thank Merlin.

Still not able to see clearly, she rubbed her thumb against the familiar grain of the wood. Thrusting it as hard as she can in front of her face, she made contact with something fleshy. He roared in pain and suddenly his weight was removed from her body.

"You fucking bitch! You stabbed me in the eye!" He screamed. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins and she imagined the safety of her home as she Apparated out of danger.

* * *

Hermione collapsed to the ground and felt the recognisable texture of her rug underneath her. The spinning from the Apparition was too much and she vomited all over herself and the floor. Scuffling away from her own mess, she rolled into a ball and wept.

After her torture at the hands of Bellatrix, she promised herself she would never feel helpless and captured again. Yet here she was, once again laying in her own filth, feeling the imprint of his body still pressing into hers. His scent lingered on her. All she wanted was to burn all her clothes and tear the violated skin off her own body.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, rationality whispered to her to contact help. Still sobbing, she tried as hard as she could to think of a happy memory – a snowball fight with Harry and Ron.

Letting the memory fill her senses, she whimpered "Expecto Patronum." A thin wisp of smoke ejected from her wand. While that memory had always worked, she realized it wasn't powerful enough.

How could she have been fooled so easily? She should have known bett- 'Stop Hermione! Focus on a happy memory.' She could almost hear Harry talking to her, coaching her like he did in the Room of Requirement. 'Think of your happiest memory; allow it to fill your entire mind.' Gathering strength from her imagined conversation, she focused on the day she received her Hogwarts letter. All those younger years of being ostracized for being different, the sense of happiness of knowing she held magic within her. To truly understand who she was and there's a world out there who accepted her for what she is. That feeling of completeness.

"Expecto Patronum." Her voice was firm and clear. Feeling the spell leave her wand, the otter nuzzled briefly with her before it dashed away. Watching her otter leave she was filled with an intense loneliness and the sobs returned, wracking her body. The crack of Apparition filled her flat and heavy footsteps rushed towards her. Panic struck her, and she tensed, unable to tell whether it was a friend or foe coming towards her.

Screaming as a hand wrapped around her shoulder, she turned.

"Fuck! Hermione, what happened?"

Knowing she was safe, she let the darkness overtake her as she leaned into Harry's embrace.


	10. Pensieve and Papers

**Chapter 10**

 **Pensieve and Papers**

"Should we wake her up?" A male voice muffled outside her room.

"No, let her sleep for as long as she needs." A female voice replied.

Hermione opened her eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling of the small room she was in. The sun shone brightly on the old Weird Sisters poster and on various Holyhead Harpies memorabilia and birds were chirping cheerfully outside the window at the Burrow.

Was it the school holidays?

No, she graduated Hogwarts years ago.

Her head felt heavy and she had dull throbbing headache. Coughing slightly, she realized her throat was parched and achy. Glancing at the tiny desk next to the bed she found a glass of water left for her.

Sitting up,she reached for the glass and gulped the whole thing down. She clumsily placed the glass back on the desk as she stared down at Ginny's pyjamas which she wore. The light of the morning sun had turned her headache from a dull throb into a pounding pain behind her eyes. Not seeing a pain potion, she closed her eyes hoping it would her mind was filled with flashes from the night before.

The journey from the Ministry Atrium to the bar. The snap of the wolf. The violation of her body. Bile rose up her throat and she felt sick again.

The door clicked and squeaked open a crack. The angelic face of Ginny Weasley peered into her old childhood room.

"You're awake. Do you need anything?" She asked gently.

Hermione couldn't look her in the eye, filled with shame of her stupidity. Not trusting her own voice, she shook her head and didn't relax until she heard the door close and the patter of footsteps walking away. Some time later, the sound of footsteps grew louder and the door opened. The matronly and worried Molly sidled in with a worn tray laden with tea, toast and boiled eggs.

"Good morning dear. You need some sustenance." She placed the tray on the desk next to Hermione. "Eat while it's still warm."

Hermione stared at the carpet as Molly fussed with the bedding around her, tucked her in tightly in the soft and well-laundered duvet. When Hermione made an attempt to sit up, Molly looked around the room aimlessly – like she tried to find something to do.

"Well I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything, dear." Molly slowly walked out, hesitating once, before quietly closing the door behind her. Hermione drank the tea and it helped relieve her headache. However the toast and the eggs laid untouched.

The sun was high in the sky, flooding the small room with brightness when the door opened for a third time and Molly took the tray of uneaten, cold food away. Hermione saw her pause once again, but after a few moments, left the room.

The fourth time the door opened, a familiar low voice called for her.

"Hermione. Would you like to come downstairs for lunch?"

Harry's expression was expectant. Almost pleading.

She sat up and swung her legs off the bed. Barefoot, she shuffled after him, out of the bedroom and into the kitchen downstairs.

The already cramped kitchen was quite busy with Molly, Arthur, Ginny, Harry and Ron moving around. They were setting the table for lunch, a spread of soup, salad, and whatever other delight Molly had coked up. However Hermione didn't have the appetite for any of it.

"Hermione. Do you want to sit here?" Ron offered as he pulled out a chair for her. He had never done that for her before. It felt odd but she obliged him and silently sat down. Crossing her ankles she looked around and noted they were all dressed in their weekend clothes. The pyjamas she wore were thin. She felt bare at the table and so she folded her arms across her chest.

"Are you cold, Hermione?" Harry asked her from across the table. Nodding in response, a crocheted blanket landed on her shoulders. She wrapped it around her and tucked in the edges under herself. Everyone at the table talked to each other, asking to pass a dish or help them serve something up. Dishes and cutlery clanged and Ron started his loud chewing which Hermione knew so well.

Ginny had filled a bowl full of chicken broth for Hermione which sat piping hot in front of her. It was obvious to her that everyone was keeping a close eye on her, so she lifted up her spoon and took a sip of the broth.

As she sipped and slowly ate the broth, it warmed her as if nourishing her body and soul. She could feel the care and love in that bowl which she wasn't sure she was deserving of – especially when she had been so stupid and careless. Once everyone was finished with lunch, nobody made an effort to get up; like they were waiting for her.

"I'd like to speak to Harry, Ron and Ginny alone." She croaked. It's the only thing she had said all day.

"Why don't you four make yourselves comfortable in the sitting room and I'll bring you all some sticky toffee pudding," Molly suggested while she started to clear the table. They moved to the small sitting room and Hermione found herself sandwiched between Harry and Ginny on the sofa and Ron sat on the armchair facing them.

None of them spoke a word until Molly returned with pudding in four small bowls on the same old tray. Ron murmured thanks as he tucked in to his pudding. Hermione left hers untouched, her hands still clenched around the blanket.

"Hermione, tell us what's wrong?" Ginny finally spoke, her green eyes gave her a worried, straight stare. The shame that sat in her stomach twisted and enveloped her. How could she explain her foolishness?

"Please tell us Hermione. We're all worried about you." Harry said. Ron and Ginny nodded in agreement. Hermione took a deep shaky breath before she started.

"Last night was my date with Rolfe Shepherds."

"What? The bloke from the Sports Department?" Ron asked which she nodded in confirmation.

"I felt really unwell after a few drinks. Then... I don't really remember what else happened." The lie came out and clumped around her throat. There were fragments she remembered but it's not like she could verbalise it right now.

"Would you like me to take your memory for a pensieve?" Harry asked her gently.

"Yes, please." She croaked almost inaudibly.

"Ok Hermione. You need to think of everything that happened last night while I extract those memories. Can you do that?" She nodded and closed her eyes.

There again in the Atrium so unaware. Harry's wand gently tapped her forehead and it felt like a cooling ice pack spreading it's chill across her mind. She thought of the drinks and how she looked around the bar at other patrons. She thought of the way Rolfe's eyes glinted at her. The way his hands captured her. The way the drug he gave her felt and then…

Her eyes snapped open. Why can't she remember all of it? She saw a silver stream of her memories pour into a vial, which Harry bottled up and started to label. The sickening feeling of shame filled her entire body. They would be aghast at how unaware and naïve she behaved. Did she learn nothing from Moody? "Constant vigilance" was so far in the back of her mind at the time.

"It's not everything but I can't do it right now." She admitted in failure. Those memories after her second drink were vague and fragmented. Ginny held her hand gently to comfort her.

"Can she give you her memories later? Or does it need to be fresh?" Ginny asked.

"Ideally fresher memories are better but we can take a break. Hermione would you like some tea before we try again?" Harry asked in a tone she was familiar with. It's his Auror voice, the one which commands people to do their jobs and one where he's all about business.

Ginny went to the kitchen to put the kettle on.

"Where did you end up going for drinks?" Ron asked curiously.

"This cocktail bar in Diagon Alley. It didn't have a name but it had a black shop sign with a silver outline of a bottle and a juniper branch inside it." Ron and Harry nodded.

"I know the place, it's called the Juniper Distillery. George tells me it's getting very popular."

"Was it busy when you were there?" Harry asked.

"There were a few occupied tables but not packed." Hermione responded to their inquisitive questions.

Ginny soon returned with a tray full of tea and there was a small purple vial next to the mugs. Hermione instantly recognised it as a calming draught.

"You're welcome to have a drop or two with your tea." Ginny suggested as she poured tea for everyone. Hermione took the vial and put three drops into her tea.

"Where are my clothes?"

Harry and Ginny gave each other glances. "Ginny changed you out of your clothes last night and I asked her to put them in a bag."

Hermione continued to sip her tea and was relieved to find the calming draught was already starting to take effect, allowing her shoulders to loosen from the tension she didn't know was there.

"Ok. I'm going to try again, take whatever memories you need Harry."

Placing her mug back on the coffee table she closed her eyes. The cooling sensation spread across her forehead and with the calming draught she didn't feel the suffocating grip of panic as she remembered last night. She recalled being Apparated, the blackness and the feel of the plush leather sofa. She felt his hands pressing against her skin, as if he was right there touching her. His words rang through her mind and despite the calming draught she could feel her heart speed up in terror. She frantically thought of how she escaped, how wandless magic allowed her wand to spring into her hand and how she had thrust it in front of her in self-defence.

Her eyes sprang open and she saw short wisps of her shimmering memories flow from her tears and Ginny helping Harry to put them in not one, but multiple vials. It was strange, weren't memories meant to be in long strands? She drained the rest of her now cool cup of tea. More calming draught flowed through her and her heart slowed it's racing pace.

"Harry, you know those memories aren't normal?" She suggested; in the few books she has read about memories, none mentioned the appearance of short strands of memories.

"I know Hermione. I will consult someone at the Ministry about it. Would you consent to me and another witness to look at these memories in a pensieve?" He asked in his Auror voice. She stared at Ron and Ginny.

"I consent to you, Ginny, and Ron looking at these memories."

"Unless it is requested by the Wizengamot on legal grounds, we are not allowed to discuss what is in your memories with anyone who you have not consented to reveal this information to. You also have the legal right to request for our memories of going through the pensieve and whatever we saw in it obliviated by an official at the Ministry at any time." Hermione nodded at her privacy rights.

"Then we are going to Hogwarts to borrow a pensieve. Would you like to rest while we're gone?"

"Fine. You know where to find me." She said as she got up and went back to bed. Exhausted from the conversation and reliving the horror of yesterday, she eventually fell into fitful sleep.

* * *

"I'm going to KILL the bastard!"

Hermione was startled awake by Ron's angry voice, frozen in fear by his aggression.

"Ron! Stop you can't do that!" Whispered Ginny.

"I saw what he did to Hermione! He deserves that." Replied her brother from the hallway.

"Let's move into the sitting room and not wake up Hermione. She doesn't need you to disturb her." The stairs creaked as they moved away from the corridor. Hermione listened carefully to her surroundings and wondered how long she had slept for, as it was now dark in the usually bright room.

Her stomach growled in protest, so Hermione wrapped herself in a cardigan that was amongst a pile of clothes, which she guessed Ginny brought over from her flat, before she ventured downstairs. She only made it to halfway down the stairs before stopping as she caught an intense conversation in the sitting room.

"We can't let a piece of shit like that walk free!" Ron yelled.

"Of course not. But hexing his balls off is a one way ticket to Azkaban!" Harry's tone dripped with sarcasm.

"Both of you! Stop it! This isn't about what you two should do to fix this. This is about Hermione." Ginny yelled back.

There's nothing worse than to be talked about like property, so Hermione stood up and loudly clomped down the stairs, and heard the sitting room go silent. When she opened the door, Harry was on the sofa, his messy hair flopped in his face. Ron stood ,red-faced, by the fireplace with his hands in his pockets. While Ginny stood by the door with a grim look upon her face.

"Is there any food?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Yeah. Dinner's in an hour. Mum's cooking up a roast." Ron shifted on his feet. "I said I'd, er, help dad lock up the chickens." He strolled out at his excuse with his head down, avoiding eye contact with all of them.

"I better help mum in the kitchen." Ginny muttered and left Harry and Hermione alone.

Harry couldn't look her in the eye as she plopped down right beside him on the sofa.

"I know what you're all thinking. That I'm stupid and weak."

Harry looked at her, appalled.

"Don't say that! After all we've been through, do you honestly think we would think less of you?" He defended.

"This isn't like when we were hunting horcruxes, Harry. We knew the dangers then, this was about me not taking precautions. This was my fault."

"Hermione you of all people deserve to enjoy life safely and peacefully, you deserve to be happy." Harry's hand held hers tightly as he pleadingly looked at her to believe every word he said. Tears started to well up in her eyes with love for her best friend.

"I can say the same for you too Harry."

"You know we can prosecute him for what he did to you."

"I'm aware of the laws but how often do you hear attackers being rightfully punished? Most cases are based upon 'he said/she said' statements."

"But we have evidence. We have your memories, your clothes, witnesses…"

"Harry! I can't do it. If people found out…" She took a deep breath at the imagined scenario. "I don't want people to look at me in pwon't be able to have peopleity as another victim or they would shame me for being a loose woman. My career could be on the line and I've worked so hard for it. I want to get on with my life and never speak to the man again."

"But Hermione! Your would be rapist is out and free when he should be locked up in Azkaban." Harry protested. "What if he does it again to someone else?" "What if he does that to someone else?"

"I understand he could. But this is my life and I've made my decision. You need to respect that."

"Hermione dear," Molly walked in the sitting room, interrupting the heated conversation, "Why don't I run you a bath before dinner? Get yourself cleaned up for today." Molly suggested as she purposefully went to the bathroom, towels in hand.

Once she was out of earshot, Hermione spoke before Harry could say anything else.

"I know you all care about me. You're literally all the family I've got." Harry gritted his teeth at her. "I'm doing what's best for me. Moving on and try to heal."

It turns out the bath was what she needed. There was also a cup of chamomile tea next to the bath for her, which Hermione suspected Molly added more calming draught into it. All her thoughts had slowed down and she felt numbingly calm.

Dinner was a quiet affair again and everyone kept making not so subtle worried glances at her. However Arthur, bless his soul, tried his best to keep spirits up as he asked Harry about his new "smart foam." He was astounded that Muggles could now keep a camera, a map, a 'fellyfoam,' and all sorts of Muggle games in one small object. It was good for her to see that some things would never change.

* * *

Monday morning arrived, and while she would rather stay in bed, she managed to draw out that famed Gryffindor courage to go to work. She had told Harry she wanted to get on with her life, and pretending nothing happened was the best way to do it. There were protests from everyone, especially Molly, but she her mind was made up, She was going to work.

Leaving the Burrow, she arrived in the Atrium Floo corridor, took a deep breath, and headed towards the lifts. Keeping her eyes in front of her, she couldn't help but notice side glances from passing Ministry employees. In the cramped elevator, she noticed two older wizards kept glancing her way and a younger witch glared at her. Her stomach twisted in knots, with a feeling of foreboding.

Finally she arrived at the conference room on the fifth floor where Mrs. Khan had already started work.

"Good morning Mrs. Khan. Did you have a good weekend?"

"It was fine, thank you." Mrs. Khan didn't look her way, but sniffed in distaste. Hermione frowned at the rude response.

There was a memo plane on her desk and she opened it. She recognised Harry's messy scrawl instantly.

"DO NOT read the Daily Prophet. Take the day off." Her stomach sank.

"Mrs. Khan, do you have today's copy of the Prophet?"

Mrs. Khan finally looked up at her with a confused blank stare.

"I need to see it, please." She pleaded.

The matron passed her the paper, careful not to touch her hand. Hermione sank into her chair and stared at horror at what she was seeing.

On the front page was a large picture of her taken the week before. However the picture Hermione kept looking flirtily at the reader whilst her hand had lifted up her skirt to show off her calves as she went up and down the stairs. Hermione was flabbergasted at how the single act of hiking up your skirt to not trip over some stairs have been misconstrued. The headlines boldly screamed at her below the was taken the week before. However the picture Hermione had a twinkle in her eye as she lifted

 **Hermione: Darling or Depraved**

Quidditch star spills about terrifying night spent trapper by sex crazed 'Golden Girl'

Pg. 5

Hermione practically ripped open the newspaper to the page, her eyes skimmed all the wretched stuff the atrocious beetle wrote about her.

 _Hermione Granger, writes special correspondence Rita Skeeter, best friend of Harry Potter, war heroine, liberal revolutionary, advocate of Magical Creatures. But do not be, fooled dear reader, by her squeaky clean public image. For Miss Hermione Granger has some dirty laundry she doesn't want you to know about. Secrets of debauchery, which would make even the most depraved witches and wizards blush._

 _Rolfe Shepherds, handsome Quidditch star and rising Ministry worker, is finally breaking his silence on the sick, twisted, and down right scary things Granger demanded of him. For a man of his his size, his stance is surprisingly hunched and uncertain. He is obviously terrified to speak out against the war heroine, but said the world needs to know the kind of person she really is. ._

 _"She was so forward with me at the bar. I thought we were just getting drinks." He told me in confidentiality._

Hermione couldn't read the rest of the article fully. Tears coulded her vision and splashed on the paper as she glanced through awful phrases like:

 _"She said she wanted to draw blood in the act."_

 _"Took my eye as a souvenir."_

 _"Demanded rough sex."_

 _"I have bruises from where she hit me."_

Suffocating from the vitriol on the page, she sat down and wept.

"Lies!" She heaved in ugly loud sobs.

"All damn lies!"

A handkerchief was thrusted under Hermione's nose and she took it to mop up the tears. She sniffed as she stared at Mrs. Khan's worried face, who's hand warmly held her shoulder.

"I think you should go home for the day. I'll let McColl and the team know that you're not feeling well."

"Thank you, Mrs. Khan." As she passed the handkerchief back.

"No dear, I'm sorry. I should have known better than to believe that rubbish." Hermione grasped Mrs. Khan's hand on her shoulder in forgiveness, at least her colleague believed her.

"Now, we must to get you out of here without being noticed. There might be reporters in the Atrium."

Hermione stood up and grabbed her bag. She placed the disillusionment charm on herself and silently wished she had Harry's invisibility cloak. Mrs. Khan went down the corridor to check the coast was clear before waving her to go. Hermione managed to avoid anyone all the way to the Floo entrance, even though she did see two photographers hanging around the Atrium.

Landing in her own flat, the distinct smell of cleaning products filled her nose. One of her friends must have cleaned the mess in her living room, or Harry sent Kreacher. She placed her bag on the floor and whipped out her wand to start the kettle boiling in the open kitchen. Sitting on her sofa, this has been the first time where everything is truly silent and she's alone. It was strangely calming in contrast to the buzz at the Ministry.

Hermione waved her wand and a fresh cup of tea was made and levitated towards her. Sipping her tea in quiet contemplation, the overwhelming feeling of disgust started to tamper down but it was gradually being replaced with a hot glowing rage. Rage for what happened to her. Molten anger for the despicable lies written about her. Undeniable fury that this should happen to any person. Hermione vanished her half finished cup of tea and sprang to her fireplace. She threw a handful of Floo powder on the grate and stuck her head in before she shouted "Harry Potter, Ministry of Magic."

A receptionist at the Ministry of Magic nodded back at her and within a few seconds Harry's face popped up in the green flickering fire.

"Hermione. Did you get home safely?"

"I'm fine Harry. I need a barrister, the best one you know."


	11. Request and Consent

**Chapter 11**

 **Request and Consent**

The office for the National Trust of Magical Creatures had barricaded itself from all visitors bar a select few Ministry employees. McColl made the managerial decision and tightened security around the office from snooping journalists and photographers. When Mrs. Khan explained to McColl, Justin and Artemis that Hermione went home yesterday morning, they all agreed to not engage with reporters out of respect for their colleague. Today the office felt oddly silent and empty with the lack of two forceful personalities in the room.

"Did anyone read the Prophet today?" Artemis asked, and Mrs. Khan sniffed disdainfully in response.

"I've known Hermione since first year, and I was in Dumbledore's Army with her." Justin spoke up, "That Rita Skeeter is full of bollocks!"

"I don't want to believe it, but I saw Rolfe Shepherds come into work today. He's wearing an eye patch. Surely that can't be faked." Artemis whispered.

"I don't know what happened, but I refuse to believe that Hermione is capable of any of the rubbish that Skeeter hag wrote." He defended even louder.

"Justin, if you must gossip do not raise your voice. Some of us have work to do." Mrs. Khan quipped. The room became tensely silent except for the scratching of quills and the rustle of parchments.

* * *

The first impression Hermione got from Veronica Hale was one of sternness. Her wide face was milky smooth with solemn, tightly pursed lips. After Harry's referral, Hermione did her research and found Veronica to have a formidable reputation not only in the British wizarding world, but also in Muggle law as well. People who knew her had spoken in equal measures of fear and admiration, exactly what Hermione was going to need.

Sitting across from each other at the kitchen table in Grimmauld Place, Hermione straightened her already neat pile of law books as Veronica poised a self-writing quill set up over a fresh parchment. The woman was impeccably dressed in a perfect

"I understand that you wish to file two cases against Rolfe Shepherds on the accounts of attempted sexual assault and defamation. Is that correct?" Veronica's voice was low and precise.

"Yes, I do. I want legal advice on the best way to ensure he pays for his crimes."

"Well then Miss Granger. I understand that Auror Potter has officially recorded evidence from yourself, including memories extracted within 24 hours of the crime, and a testimony under Veritaserum. However, as your legal advisor, I must warn you that every past action of yours will be scrutinised publicly." The barrister cleared her throat and her small lips pursed even tighter.

"I don't say this to you to dissuade you from going forward, but when I say every past action, I mean _every_ action. Every date, encounter or flirtation would be scrutinised. Every rumour and gossip said or written about you will resurface. Are you prepared for that? Do you have the necessary people to support you, who won't turn on you no matter what?"

Hermione nodded. "I am prepared, thank you."

"Have you received any response in regard to yesterday's article, such as mail or visits?"

"A handful of letters and three howlers." Hermione said as she lifted a thick stack of letters from behind the books. She dared not open the letters, but the howlers were unavoidable. It never ceased to amaze her, the viciousness of the public, who felt compelled to write and express their opinions of her.

"I received a letter from the Ministry which requested I take 'a leave of absence' too." The quill wrote exactly what Hermione said and Veronica frowned in thought.

"We would need to file those letters and any future letters as evidence, which I'm sure Auror Potter can do for us." Veronica paused as her slender hand reached across the table to hold one of Hermione's.

"I promise to you that I will do everything I can, but you must understand there's a possibility that we may not win both, if not either of these cases. Are you willing to continue based upon this fact?" Hermione nodded in response to Veronica's hard stare.

"In that case Miss Granger, I will file these two cases against Mr. Shepherds with the Wizengamot by the end of the day. Do you consent?"

"I do consent."

* * *

The tapping of Hermione's fingers reverberated from the high-vaulted ceilings and across the highly polished, scuff free parquet floors where she waited. Her eyes darted around her surroundings, noted a large portrait of white peacocks pecking amongst a hedgerow. The room was completely silent, in contrast to the franticness of the city outside the old windows. Throngs of suited men and women walked passed, oblivious to this grand sandstone building; enveloped by skyscrapers. She tried to remain calm, but there is something nerve wrecking about a long wait in a quiet reception area.

None of the distractions quelled her bubbling anxiety while she waited. The past week had been a whirlwind and there had not been a lot of time where she was alone with her own thoughts. Especially now that she had temporarily moved to Grimmauld Place. Her friends had been good about keeping her company.

Hearing the brass door knob next to her chair click, Hermione turned her head to see the sleekly dressed witch who had greeted her earlier step through the door.

"Miss Granger, he's ready to see you now." She said in a cool professional manner.

Standing, Hermione smoothed out her trousers as she followed the witch out of the reception and up a set of plushily carpeted stairs. Reaching the top, they went down a long corridor lined with grey doors, distinctively black double doors at the end.

"He's just through here Miss Granger."

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she straighten her shoulders before she strode into the office. There, standing beside his desk in all his immaculate glory was Draco Malfoy. His blonde hair was perfectly styled, and the navy waistcoat and trousers brought out the silver shimmer in his eyes.

"Good morning, Miss Granger." The door was closed behind her and Draco gestured for her to sit in front of his large walnut desk. A swarm of butterflies started fluttering in Hermione's stomach and she stroked her bag absentmindedly.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Those silver eyes pierced her with a concentrated stare that quite took her breath away until she remembered why she came to his office.

* * *

 _*flashback*_

" _Why can't I ask Ron?"_

 _Her protest echoed against the hanging pots in the Grimmauld Place kitchen. The self-writing quill continued to scratch out her exact words onto the endless length of parchment._

 _The severe barrister remained expressionless in a cool collected poise._

" _Your relationship with him is too well known and the Wizengamot might consider it biased. Are you sure there isn't any other wizard you can ask as a character witness?"_

 _Hermione thought about it deeply. "There is someone I could ask but I'm not sure if he would agree."_

 _The stern barrister nodded in understanding._

" _Would you like to disclose a name and I can ask them?"_

 _Hermione hesitated with confusion. Whichever answer she gave may or may not be the right one._

" _Maybe it's best if I ask him myself."_

* * *

There was no doubt the beautiful, bushy-haired woman who sat before him had been on his mind a lot lately. Hermione's face was more gaunt than he remembered and her make up didn't quite cover the dark circles under her eyes. The stressed appearance made his chest tighten, he never wanted to see her look anything but happy.

There was a knock on the door and his secretary walked in with a tray for tea service.

"Thank you. Please don't let anyone interrupt this meeting." His secretary nodded in understanding and left them alone again.

"White, no sugar?" He offered.

"Yes please." Hermione cleared her throat as he carefully made two cups of tea. One with two sugar, another without. As he wondered why she was here he noticed her fingers, fidgeting with nerves. Even though he had been following the news closely, he saw no reason for her presence in his office.

Draco passed her cup of tea to her and the lightest brush of her fingers on his hand left him with a tingle.

"How have you been Draco?"

"Are you here for small talk?" Taking a bite of his shortbread, he took a sip of tea and wondered what had her so nervous that she was procrastinating getting to the point of their meeting.

"Have you read the news lately?"

"It is part of my business to know what's happening in society." He kept his face clear of emotions, but he was confused on where she was going with her questions.

"Are you aware that I'm taking Rolfe Shepherds to the Wizengamot?"

"I am. I never liked him anyway." His jaw clenched at the thought of that brute who had tried to lay his hands on Hermione. That monster had tried to take someone filled with so much life and love, without it being given to him. It sickened Draco completely.

It brought back memories of the war. He never forgot. He never forgot that the woman in front of him was the one hundred and seventy fourth person to be tortured in front of his own eyes. Her twisted, contoured body, and the pitch of her shrieks branded were in his mind. Something he will never be able to erase, not even with magic. He regretted that he didn't do more that day. He promised himself that he would never see his classmates like that again.

"My barrister is building a case against him and a large part of it involves the allegations he made about my 'sexual reputation.'"

"I didn't believe that rubbish." The memory of scrunching up that day's paper and throwing it across the room stayed vividly with him.

"Thank you, Draco." The sincerity was evident on her face.

"You're welcome. But that isn't all you came to tell me is it?"

"There _is_ more actually." His stomach clenched in anticipation. "My barrister suggests I have a character witness in court to provide a testimony. They are to provide evidence for my 'good character.'"

"That shouldn't be a problem for you then. Who did you ask?"

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed together as she gazed at him with her chocolate eyes. It became very clear to him why she was sat in his office. It wasn't for any pleasantries. His throat became tight with unease.

"Me?"

"Would you, please?" She pleaded.

Mystified by her reasoning. "Why me?"

"My barrister will question you on our relationship, the… romantic one."

"That does mean I will talk about our… romantic relationship in public. Is that what you want?"

"I need this in order to win my case."

It was slightly amusing and inevitable to Draco that the very reasonable Hermione Granger would plead with rationality. Even though that wasn't what he wanted to hear. What did he want her to tell him? That she was proud of their relationship? That perhaps she felt _something_ for him?

"This is quite a serious situation Hermione. I'm going to need time to think about it."

"I understand. This might sound ridiculous coming from me and I would never have imagined in all my years at school I would say this but… please Draco. I'm pleading with you to help me with this."

"Give my information to your barrister and have them contact me in a day or so with all the details. I need time to consider."

Her shoulders slumped as she sipped her tea before carefully placeing back on the tray.

"Thank you for your time Draco. I won't take up any more of it." She stood up and held out her hand to shake his.

He stood up and took her hand. Only to bend down and left a featherlight kiss on her knuckle. Her eyes were wide with surprise, like the first time so many months ago.

"Take care of yourself Hermione." It was loaded with all his feelings and what he could not say out loud. She gave him a small smile as she withdrew her hand.

"I always do."

* * *

It had been over a fortnight since Veronica Hale's last meeting with Hermione. They sat down again in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. By now Hermione had fully moved in as journalists hung around her apartment and the Ministry. Despite the reading she had been doing on laws, she couldn't help but felt claustrophobic. She had a new level of sympathy and understanding for Sirius Black when he was stuck in the same house in the last year of his life.

"I have taken a look at your memories and I have some good and bad news." Veronica explained in her collected voice. The self-writing quill etched across the parchment with her every word.

"I prefer the bad news first." Hermione shifted in her seat to brace herself.

"The bad news is that your memories are fragmented, and I believe the Wizengamot will view that as unreliable evidence. The good news is that three witnesses at the bar have come forward."

"What about the testimony I took under veritaserum?"

"That will help solidify your case. Nevertheless, under our new wizardry rights, we cannot give someone veritaserum without their knowledge & consent. So, if Mr. Shepherds doesn't consent to veritaserum for his testimony, we would have different accounts of the events."

"Wouldn't that prove he's guilty?"

"Not necessarily, because the Wizengamot has to take _all_ evidence into consideration."

The worry of them losing this case weighed upon Hermione in silence. The only sounds in the kitchen came from the quill and the gentle rumbling of the Aga oven.

Veronica cleared her throat before moving through her notes. "I have sent a formal letter to one of your character witnesses, Mr. Draco Malfoy. Unfortunately, he hasn't responded to my request."

"But the trial is next week."

"Unlike in British muggle court, we don't have to submit all the evidence for the other party to review before the court date. Therefore, we still have time to persuade Mr. Malfoy.

"Let's move on to the next point. The preliminary evidence from both parties have been submitted. I can review the evidence given by Mr. Shepherds' barrister. What immediately appears to bring up a red flag from the defendant is the medical report of Mr. Shepherds, dated the day after the event. It is a statement from the healer over Mr. Shepherds' right eye. In the simplest terms, some kind of object pierced through the eye and ruptured through the cornea and the ciliary muscle. The healers concluded that Mr. Shepherds' has been blinded and would have to wait until he can have surgery for an eyeball replacement."

Hermione absently nodded to every word said to her. Did she really do that? She was so terrified, and her body had moved instinctively to protect herself.

"From your testimony, you pulled out your wand in self-defence. Therefore, we can conclude the wand was the described object. In court, we will have more questions about necessary force for self-defence. I will need you to describe how you escaped from the event. Can you do that Hermione?" Veronica's voice didn't ask but demanded her to be strong.

"I can." She replied, and the self-writing quill sealed her resolve in ink on parchment.

* * *

 **AN: Oh my god. I'm sorry it had taken so long since the last update. I hope this makes up for it.**

 **Thank you for the support and special thanks to my beta Tridogmom who's support has been incredible.**


	12. Intrusion and Certainty

**Chapter 12**

 **Intrusion & Certainty**

If anyone could look nonchalant while secretly annoyed, it would be Blaise. Currently waiting for him at their table, the suave Italian looked at ease, holding a glass of Firewhisky in his palm, absentmindedly swirling it, and allowing it to warm. But Draco could tell that his friend was irritated; his jaw was distinctively tight, and he was squeezing his other hand methodically.

"About time you showed up." He said flippantly as Draco unceremoniously sat himself down, clicking his finger for a house elf. A creature silently filled his water glass and offered the menu for his inspection.

"Langoustine Tartare and the Bresse pigeon." He tossed the menu to the side. "Bring me a paired wine too. Red." Crack. The house elf disappeared.

"What's got you in a foul mood?"

"Your nose in my business." Draco retorted which only made his friend smirk.

"Fine. If you don't want to talk." Blaise's chiseled face leant forward over the table. "But you should hear about this muggle I went on a date with!" Truthfully, he didn't want to hear all about Blaise's escapades. He had heard it all before. The routine followed a predictable pattern where on the date Blaise says nothing and only asks a few questions. The women seem to think that he's _so_ interested in them. He goes home with them and then Apparates home once he's done. His bedroom adventures weren't something that Draco envied, but nevertheless he listened to his stories.

The food and wine appeared, and Blaise continued to extoll the virtues of his latest conquest when a rare commotion started in the foyer just outside the dining room door.

"Sir! You can't go in there." The house elf squeaked in panic.

"I am an Auror and I need to see him, now."

All eyes turned to towards the commotion as the door swung open with a loud bang and the scar-faced Auror strode into the restaurant. Ignoring all their gazes, Harry Potter intently strode up towards Draco's table.

"Always making a scene Potter." The drawl in his voice was delivered like it was second nature.

"Malfoy, you and I need to talk." It was clear that Potter was angry, whatever for Draco had no clue.

"Could this wait until you book an appointment with my secretary?"

"It's not from a lack of trying. We need to talk now. In private." He adamantly replied.

Draco gave a heavy sigh and glanced at his friend who was more than curious about the urgency.

"By all means mate, get Potter out of here as fast as you can. Then we can enjoy the rest of our meal in peace."

Draco's chair scraped back heavily as he rose. "Let's go Potter."

He led them out of the dining room, down a corridor, and in to an empty drawing room. Like the rest of the member's club, it was decadently furnished with plush carpets, walnut antique furniture, and soft velvets. He shut the door behind them and cast a silencio charm on the room. There was no way he wanted any eavesdroppers listening in.

"What is so important that you had to ruin a perfectly good dinner to talk about?"

"I'm here to ask you to do the right thing."

"You mean pay my reparations for the war? The Ministry knows I am a punctual payer." If saintly Potter came out purposefully for something this petty, he would be pissed.

"No. I mean Hermione."

The feeling of unease sank to the pit of his stomach.

"How did you know?" His throat was tight from restrained dread. The scar-faced man withdrew from his pockets a recognizable pair of extendable ears. It was clear that Potter's schoolboy habit of eavesdropping continued.

Draco was shockedsurprised that Potter. Potter knew what happened between Hermione and him. Yet he hadn't drawn his wand to slice him up into a thousand pieces.

"What do you want?"

"I know you haven't put yourself forward as a character witness. You need to."

"Aren't you afraid of what airing out the Golden girl's dirty laundry would do to her?" Draco sneered, annoyed that Potter was now involved in their business. "Do you really want the world to know that 'Saint Hermione' was fuckingsleeping with a former Death Eater?" The self-loathing that was usually kept under wraps bubbled up to the surface.

"For fuck's sake Malfoy. This isn't about you!" shouted back Harry. "Hermione's already going through hell for something that she doesn't deserve. We need to send the bastard to Azkaban so he won't try this again. The only way is to make sure she gets every scrap of evidence needed to win. I've been in this Auror game long enough to know that people who do shitty things get away with it because a lack of evidence. Do you really want Hermione's would-be rapist to walk free?"

Draco knew that answer but couldn't find his voice to say anything.

"I haven't said whether I would help or not." It was all he could muster. Potter sighed as his hand ruffled his unruly black hair.

"You know what your problem is Malfoy? It's not your pompousness. It's that you're a coward." Harry paused before saying his next words. "I shouldn't be surprised that you're too cowardly to help Hermione the second time."

That really stung Draco in the most sensitive area. The regrets and nightmares he had from contemplating over and over in his head – 'what if?' What if he tried to save Hermione from Bellatrix?

"I think we're done here Potter." It was a clear dismissal as he opened the door. His old-school nemesis shook his head and strode out without another word, knowing he had outstayed his welcome.

With a heavy sigh and a schooled face of indifference, Draco went back to the dining room. The other guests barely paid him any attention or tried to ignore him for the sake of discretion.

Blaise looked at him with amusement as he sat down but dared not say anything at first. Their starters appeared before them on exquisite china with impeccable timing and they began to eat in silence. Once Draco was half way through his tartar, Blaise found his opportunity to speak.

"Pity Potter didn't come back through the dining room. He could have passed on my letter."

It intrigued Draco. "What letter?"

Blaise drained the rest of his wine glass before it was refilled. "My letter to Granger. I have a new-found respect for the saucy minx."

Draco felt his hackles The hairs on the back of Draco's neck were raised, despite trying to remain blasé about his friend's newfound interest.

"Why would you be interested in her?"

"Well you brought her to my attention first. It's clear the ugly cub of Gryffindor became a lioness. Now with her taking that Rolfe Shepherds to Wizengamot, I find I like her feistiness."

Every muscle in his being was taunt with restraint; restraint from throwing himself at his old friend and killing him the muggle way – with his bare hands.

"Since you're not banging her anymore, I thought I could give it a try." Blaise smiled mischievously. "I don't mind tasting some of your leftovers."

His chair scraped back suddenly as he stood up completely enraged. His hand reached down suddenly, making Blaise recoil. He pulled his wine glass to his lips, downing the almost full glass.

"If you so much as look at her in any way, I will ruin you."

He gave his now terrified friend a final glare before he whisked out of the club, angry over everything about tonight. Angry with Harry-fucking-Potter. Angry with Blaise-fucking-Zabini. Angry with himself.

With a crack, he Disapparated home. Tower Bridge, lit in cold blue and stone, shone brightly into his penthouse window. He reached for a fresh glass and filled it with a few fingers of Firewhisky.

He didn't ask to be involved with this drama. After everything he'd been through, he just wanted to live a private life. Where work was busy and successful. He wanted to find a woman, one that didn't know about his past, that he could fall head over heels in love with. The kind of unconditional love that makes you yearn to get married and start a family. He wanted to be a kind, devoted husband and the kind of loving, doting father he had always wanted.

He didn't want to be involved with someone famous and as unattainable as Hermione Granger. But here he was. The glass in his hand was refilled and he slumped down into his favourite armchair. His head buzzed, spinning from the alcohol and lack of food. The truth shined down on him as clear as the bridge out his window. The truth could no longer be ignored and there was absolutely no escaping it.

He laughed at what a fool he had been. Now that he could admit it to himself, he knew two things to be true: He was most unequivocally and unbelievably in love with Hermione Granger, and she needed him to stand up and fight with her.

* * *

 **Thank you everyone for the lovely reviews! It made my heart sing with joy.**

 **Thank you to Tridogmom who beta'd this chapter whilst ill. She is completely awesome.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	13. Provocation and Protest

**Chapter 13**

 **Provocation and Protest**

"Hermione are you ready?" Ginny opened the door and peered into her room. Hermione straightened out her grey robes. After a consultation with a Public Relations consultant from America they have decided on the sort of image she should present in the Wizengamot. Demure tailored grey robes and with her hair held back in a conservative bun.

She was so grateful for the astonishing amount of money Harry had spent on all the extra services, like the PR consultant, let alone her barrister. In the beginning when she suggested payments with Veronica, Harry was adamant that this was something he wanted to do for her. She dared not bring it up again when there was so much going on.

Ginny pulled her into a tight hug. The fiery redhead was also dressed formally to go with her today. They went downstairs into the hallway, where a few people have gathered already. Ron was in his least scruffy robes; Molly had her handkerchief scrunched up in her hand and Arthur paced back and forth. Her surrogate family were all there to support her.

The doorbell rang and Molly opened the door for Veronica. The round-faced barrister had already donned her plum Wizengamot robes and held her pristine leather briefcase.

"Thank you for coming with me." Hermione thanked everyone.

Heading towards the fireplace, Molly entered it with Arthur, then Harry and Ginny, followed by Ron.

"I'll be right behind you." Veronica said to Hermione.

With a shaky hand, she threw in a handful of floo powder shouting "Ministry of Magic."

She was promptly sucked up into the system. Her feet landed in a cloud of smoke and was blinded by the instant flashing of cameras and a barrage of shouting at her.

An arm linked with hers and a hand held the other which guided her through the chaos. In between the flashes, Molly held onto her tightly for support, support she didn't realize she would need, as Harry led them through the Atrium.

"Miss Granger will not be making any statements until the end of the court proceedings. Please respect her wishes." Veronica shouted in a firm, clear voice as she brought up the tail of the entourage.

The walk to the elevators felt longer than usual. On the other side of the restored fountain there was a dense crowd of witches with large white placards in red paint they were waving about.

"Witches need snitches!"

"Down with the wizardarchy!"

"You don't grab other people's wands. Why are witches' bodies different?"

The placards were charmed to flash boldly at everyone who went by. Aurors in their official Ministry robes had tried to contain the protest to a corner. However, the witches were persistent with their space. Their coordinated outfits of white and red robes marked them out as protesters. There must have been fifty or so witches or so who had come out today to show their support.

It only became clear as Hermione got closer to them that their robes were enchanted. Whenever an Auror touched one to move them back, it left a red handprint on their robes. The startling image of bloody hands on witches really shook Hermione.

"Good luck Hermione!" One of them shouted, which made her look over. Artemis was amongst the protesters. Her own white robes covered with bloody handprints all over her upper body.

"Stand with Hermione!" They chanted over and over. The collective voices echoed through the domed ceilings and down the connecting corridors.

Hermione and her group took up an entire elevator, bolstered by the mass support. When the doors finally closed – its calmness was a stark contrast to the demonstration they passed.

"Bloody hell! That was mad!" Ron commented with relief. Hermione managed a grin, only her best friend could state the obvious like that.

"Mind your language Ronald!" Molly chastised.

Hermione unlinked her arm with Molly to wrap around the maternal woman. No words could describe how grateful she was for Molly's care, even when she was no longer romantically involved with her son. She was grateful Molly took her in when she returned from Australia, heartbroken without her parents. She was grateful for everything she had done for her.

"Department of Mysteries" said the cool elevator voice as they arrived at the ninth floor. They strode down the bare corridor with purpose and went down the stairs to the courtrooms. Hermione glanced over at Harry who looked as if he would rather not be walking around this part of the Ministry.

"Thank goodness I brought a cardigan. Why must these corridors be so drafty." Molly complained.

"We can wait in the warmth upstairs while the hearing is going on." Ginny suggested. Hermione was grateful they all turned out for her, even if they couldn't attend the private trial.

Leading the way, Veronica led them past every thick, iron bolted door until they reached the last courtroom at the end of the hallway. Hermione wasn't sure if it was because this is where her trial would be, or it there was another reason, but this door seemed to be the most ominous one.

Professional as ever, Veronica turned away from the group for some privacy. "I'll give you a moment before we head in."

Ginny threw her arms so tightly around Hermione, she could feel the air being squeezed from her lungs. When she was finally released, there were tears in the red-head's eyes. Molly sobbed into her well-worn handkerchief as she and Arthur went in for a group hug. Ron clasped Hermione on the shoulder and whispered in her ear.

"Take the bastard to Azkaban."

Harry nodded, and Hermione knew he would do everything he could as an Auror in the courtroom.

"Ok Veronica. I'm ready."

Her barrister nodded and turned the heavy iron door handle and they both stepped inside the courtroom. Hermione remembered being up in the chilly high benches a few years ago. The view from the bottom made her feel small and terrified. Fifty plum-robed wizards and witches stared down their noses as she approached the centre of the floor.

"Let the record show the persecutor, Hermione Jean Granger has arrived." The most ancient Wizard said to the court scribe in a crackled voice.

"Let the record also show the persecutor has brought legal representation, barrister Veronica Hale." Hermione stared at the iron-shackled seat in the centre of the court and wondered if she had to sit in it.

"Hermione take a seat." Veronica indicated towards a bench on the left and they sat down. Everyone waited in anticipatory silence, except for the odd cough or sniff. The quietness drove Hermione crazy with nerves. Her heart pounded in her chest during the wait, her mind raced through her prepared testimony which she had memorised. The other bench on the opposite side of the iron-shackled chair, obviously meant for Rolfe, remained empty for now.

The door creaked open with fanfare and for a moment Hermione wanted to flee at the sight of her perpetrator. She was shocked at the sight of him. In her mind he had become a monster; a wolf preying on a sheep separated from its herd. In person, Rolfe Shepherds was still a tall and broad man, with neat short brown hair. He wore a tailored set of dark grey robes and a leather eyepatch over his right eye. Beside him was an old ruddy-faced wizard Hermione didn't recognise but judging from his plum coloured robes was his barrister.

Veronica's hand gave her hand a small squeeze in comfort. Hermione felt slightly reassured. She's not alone in this.

"Let the record show the accused, Rolfe Marcus Shepherds has arrived in court with his legal representation barrister Gordon Wetters-Tink." They bowed before the judges and sat down on the other bench. It was the first time Hermione had seen his face since that night and now she could see how the twinkle in his eye was more of an evil glint.

The old wizard knocked the gavel three times before speaking in this crackly voice, "Prosecution hearing of the twenty fifth of November into offences committed under the Sexual Offences Act and the English Defamation Law by Rolfe Marcus Shepherds to the victim Hermione Jean Granger."

"Interrogators: Tiberius Bailey, Deputy Chief Warlock; Gawain Robards, Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Court Scribe: Zacharias Smith." Bailey gave a tickled cough before continuing. "Due to personal ties to the prosecutor, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic has withdrawn his leadership from the proceedings."

"Can Hermione Jean Granger sit in the chair."

At the command she tentatively moved to the seat, every step echoed and reverberated in the court room. The chains on the seat shook as she sat down but did not move to restrain her. The thought of the number of Death Eaters that had sat in this chair before her, chilled her to the core. The feeling of anxiety increased as she looked up and saw the member of the court staring down at her with their imposing stares.

"Please confirm the following. Do you charge Rolfe Shepherds of attempted rape and following the assault of defamation of personal reputation and character, which constitutes an offence under paragraph B of the Sexual Offences Act, 1999 and under section 8 of the English Defamation Law, 1627?"

"Yes" Hermione confirmed.

* * *

Thank you for the most delightful reviews. You have brought a sparkle of glee and it has bolstered me to write more often. (Next chapter is still in development)

Thank you to Tridogmom, my beta and sympathetic ear to bounce ideas with. You are the best.


	14. Mansplanation and Mortification

**Chapter 14**

 **Mansplanation and Mortification**

"Describe what you recall happening the evening of First of November." Tiberius Bailey said as he looked down his square gold spectacles, his eyes were cloudy with age. Hermione started to recite her account of the start of the date, as she had practiced with Veronica.

"What did you talk about in your conversation?" Urged Bailey.

"We talked about our childhoods and quidditch."

"And how did you feel when you drank your first drink?" Auror Robards took over the questioning.

"I felt fine. Quite content with the conversation."

"What happened next?"

"After we finished our first drinks, Mr. Shepherds bought a second round. After the first sip I started to feel unwell."

"Please describe the symptoms you were feeling?" Robards asked.

"My hearing was the first thing I noticed. I could hear him talking but I couldn't understand his words, and then I couldn't hear what he was saying. All I could hear was my own heartbeat and a rushing sound. My head started pounding and I felt very anxious. As soon as I stood up to leave I started to feel very dizzy. After going outside my vision started to fade out."

"Did you give Mr. Shepherds any indication that you needed to leave?"

"Yes, I remember telling him I needed to leave as soon as my headache began."

"Did you try to leave alone or did Mr. Shepherds accompany you."

"Mr. Shepherds held me up as we went out of the bar. Without warning, he side-along Apparated us." Her heart pounded in her chest from recounting the terror she felt.

"Did you have any indication of where you were?"

"I did not. The only thing I could tell was that due to the texture of the couch I was laying on, I was not at my flat."

"What fabric is your couch and what fabric was the couch you were laying on?"

"I have a herringbone couch, and I was on a leather couch." Her voice quivered and her palms felt clammy.

"Can you please elaborate on any recollections you have after you arrived at this destination?"

Hermione took a deep breath and closed her eyes to gather herself. The chains jangled lightly beside her.

"At first I was sitting, but then I was laying down. I felt Mr. Shepherds get on top of me. His – " Her throat seized up and the uncontrollable tears fell down her cheeks. Veronica walked towards her and passed her a crisp linen handkerchief. Taking another slow deep breath, Hermione felt herself regain control of her own voice.

"His mouth kissed me all over and I froze." She said shakily. "I wished it could stop. His hands touched my bare skin and everything in my head screamed for help. I tried to tell him to stop, but no sound would come out of my mouth. I felt him grinding his crotch against me and he ripped my shirt opened."

The court was silent, enraptured by her narration "I screamed for help in my head and I felt my wand fly into my right hand." Hermione dabbed the fresh tears from her face.

"Auror Robards, I'd like to ask Miss Granger a question." Robards nodded at her. "Did you any intentions to aim your wand at a target?" Veronica asked, and Tiberius Baileynodded in approval.

"Not at all. I still couldn't see clearly. It was instinctive to thrust my wand in front of me in the duelling position."

Robards continued with his questioning, "What happened after you held out your wand?"

"I felt it make contact with something, but I still couldn't see what. Mr. Shepherds got off me and I Apparated away."

"Where did you Apparate to?"

"I Apparated home."

"What did you do after you arrived?"

"I was still feeling unwell from the symptoms and event I just described earlier, as well as Apparation so when I arrived I vomited. I knew I needed assistance, so I cast a corporeal patronus to call for help."

"How long did it take for help to arrive?"

"I am not positive as I was quite distraught." Hermione paused to regain what little composure she had to give a rational answer. "I believe I was home for approximately five to ten minutes before sending the patronus. You would need to ask Harry Potter how long it took him to arrive at my flat after receiving my Patronus."

"And this is Harry Potter, Auror of the Ministry of Magic you are referring to?"

"Yes."

"Thank you for your account of the events, Miss Granger."

Tiberius Bailey stood back up, "Does the defendant's representative have any additional questions?" Bailey's cloudy eyes floated over to the other side of the courtroom.

Hermione finally allowed herself to look in the same direction at Rolfe. His back was ruler straight,his face was grim and his good eye targeted solely on her. She hoped he felt guilt-ridden.

Gordon Wetters-Tink stood up and stepped forward, his drooping chin thrusted upwards with confidence.

"Miss Granger, you said you only had two drinks. Were these the only two alcoholic beverages you consumed that evening?"

"Yes."

"Do you become intoxicated easily? Surely a petit woman such as yourself will feel the effects of alcohol more so than men."

Hermione gritted her teeth at the barrister who she was growing to dislike more and more.

"No, I don't get drunk easily. Two drinks would not cause me to become intoxicated."

"Did you have any other sexual activity with Mr. Shepherds that night."

"I don't believe so."

"Are you certain, Miss Granger?"

"No, I cannot be certain."

"Did you intend to engage in any sexual activity with Mr. Shepherds that evening?"

"I had no expectations for the evening."

"Interrogators, I'd like to present the evidence of Miss Granger's clothing that evening." The interrogators nodded, and Zacharias Smith waved his wand levitating the clothes Hermione wore that evening. A mid-length pencil skirt in dark crimson. A silk white blouse, the buttons either missing or hanging by a thread. A matching set of black lace-trimmed bra and thong; clothing Hermione hadn't seen since that night.

"Now Miss Granger, what made you choose this outfit?"

Her face started to heat up with mortification. "It made me feel beautiful."

"So, you made an effort." Her opposition said haughtily. "Did you want Mr. Shepherds to recognize you as _attractive_?"

"It was meant to be a date." Hermione defended.

"You haven't answered my question."

Bile was stuck in her throat and her face was on fire with humiliation. "Yes."

"Your underwear from that night, it's rather seductive wouldn't you say? Why would you wear such provocative garments, unless you intended to have Mr. Shepherds see them later in the evening?"

"Objection. Mr. Wetters-Tink has asked a leading question." Veronica defended, and the Interrogators nodded.

"Mr. Wetters-Tink's question has been retracted. You're not obliged to answer Miss Granger."

"Fine. Please explain Miss Granger, why did you choose to wear this set of undergarments?" Gordon Wetters-Tink glared at her with his beady eyes. Daring her to answer his demeaning questions.

"I have every prerogative to wear whatever I want. In the moment of _that_ _morning_ , I chose to wear a set of undergarments that _I_ liked. Nothing more, nothing less." The barrister's nose flared at her defiance. He didn't expect her ability to not break under his degrading examination.

"Your honours," Veronica interrupted, "Request to ask Miss Granger a question regarding the evidence of clothing."

"Request granted."

"Miss Granger, please look at your blouse displayed. Would you say that the buttons have been ripped off or almost ripped off?"

Hermione looked at that silk blouse, one of her favourites. "Yes, they have."

"Who ripped that blouse?" Veronica asked, her stern voice encouraged Hermione to continue.

"It was Mr. Shepherds."

"Your honours let it be known that there is clear evidence that Mr. Shepherds forcefully removed articles of clothing from Miss Granger with intent of rape." Veronica said as she sat back down at the bench.

Mr. Wetters-Tink looked slightly off-balanced but quickly found himself again.

"Miss Granger, have you ever had fantasies of a sexual nature?"

"Yes."

The defendant's barrister raised a fat finger in the air as if he was a great detective with the answer. "There have been behavioural studies carried out by Muggles that show over half of all woman surveyed have regular fantasies. These include having their clothes torn off in moments of heated passion and even rape fantasies." His finger pointed towards her accusingly. "Would it not be fair to say that _perhaps_ Miss Granger enjoys re-enacting these similar fantasies."

"Objection your honours on the grounds that the line of questioning is hypothetical" Veronica protested. Hermione was glad she was there to express her indignation, as she was too shocked by the accusation to say anything.

"Mr. Wetters-Tink, you must change your line of questioning. Court scribe, please erase Mr. Wetters-Tink's last comment." The court scribe followed Bailey's instructions and scribbled quickly over his parchment. The portly barrister adjusted his robes as he composed himself for a new line of attack.

"That evening, did you make any attempts to tell Mr. Shepherds to stop his advances?"

"No." "Not out loud." Hermione's heart sank, the way she feared getting a wrong answer in class.

"Did you give any indications that you didn't want any sexual activity with Mr. Shepherds?"

"Not until I yelled 'no' at the end."

"What actions did you take to stop Mr. Shepherds from his advances?"

"As I mentioned before, I somehow summoned my wand and used it to protect myself."

"Did you cast any spell – even wordlessly when you raised your wand at Mr. Shepherds?"

Hermione's brain started to ache from recollecting her memories. Did she cast any spell? What would she had cast? An expulsion hex?

"I'm not sure."

"How can you be unsure? You would know if you did or not." The ruddy-faced man started to turn a new shade of scarlet.

"Your honours, I believe Mr. Wetters-Tink is aggravating my client." Veronica interrupted.

"Your request has been dismissed Ms. Hale. However, I'd like to ask Miss Granger to confirm to the best of her knowledge whether she cast any spell or not?" Bailey asked calmly. Hermione looked over to her barrister, who's lips were pursed tighter than ever and nodded back in encouragement.

"I'm most certain that I didn't intend to cast any spells."

The ruddy-faced barrister grimaced at her response. He paused before he asked his next question. "How would you describe your love life, Miss Granger?"

The question threw Hermione off. It wasn't something she expected.

"I don't have much of a love life." She replied frankly.

"Oh really? You're a war heroine; slender; brilliant. Surely you have men chasing you everywhere you go." Wetters-Tink countered curiously.

"I'm more focused on my career." Hermione stated.

"But did you have a brief relationship with Victor Krum, former Bulgarian Quidditch player?"

"He is a friend."

"But you went as his date to the Triwizard Tournament Yule Ball, did you not?"

"Yes, I did. Thirteen years ago."

"Witch Weekly spoke of the love triangle between Victor Krum, Harry Potter and yourself, at the time. Isn't that proof of your interests in – _famous_ men?" His face was distorted into a wretched smile of self-satisfaction.

"Those allegations were false." Veronica interrupted. "Victor Krum himself has denied these claims in his autobiography." With a swish of her wand, a book with Victor Krum's face on the cover appeared and the book turned to a certain page. The book was levitated towards the interrogators who read the highlighted paragraph.

"Mr. Potter could also testify the falsehood of the romantic relations written in Witch Weekly." Her barrister added.

"Well if all three parties involved deny the facts, we shall disregard Mr. Wetters-Tink's last statement." Old Bailey said, and Zacharias corrected his parchment.

"Miss Granger, did you also have a romantic relationship with Ronald Weasley?" For this question, Hermione felt prepared.

"Yes. We dated for a few months after the war."

"Why did your relationship end?"

"We both wanted different things for the future. He wanted to travel and eventually have a large family. I wanted to start my career and make a positive contribution to Wizarding society." She said with polished practice.

"So it had nothing to do with the fact that he wasn't as wealthy or as famous as other men you knew?"

"Not at all. I still regard Ron with the highest respects, as a friend." Hermione retaliated. How dare this slime of a man use Ron's insecurities against her in court!

"And since the end of your romantic relationship with Ronald Weasley. Did you have any other romantic relationships with wizards or Muggles?"

"Your honours, I object to Mr. Wetters-Tink's examination on the grounds of being irrelevant to the case." Her barrister protested.

"Mr. Wetters-Tink, what are you trying to establish here?" Tiberius Bailey questioned.

"I believe it's vital to the case to establish Miss Granger's historical behaviour on the grounds that she has claimed for defamation of her character by my client Mr. Shepherds." He presented innocently.

The Interrogators looked at each other and finally Tiberius Bailey nodded his head. "Proceed."

"Can you answer my question Miss Granger. Did you or did you not have any other romantic relationships with wizards or Muggles?"

"Yes." Hermione said with gritted teeth.

"How many between Ronald Weasley and Rolfe Shepherds?"

"One." She laid her hands on the arm rests to steady herself.

"Only one?" Gordon sounded surprised by her answer.

"Yes, only one." Her nose flared with an anger which blazed through her entire anatomy.

"Was this a wizard or a Muggle?" He asked curiously.

"A wizard."

"How many dates did you have with this wizard?"

"Two."

"Did you ever engage in sexual intercourse with this wizard?"

Hermione paused, every fiber of her being wanted to stay silent on something so personal to her and Draco. However, Veronica nodded at her, encouraging her to speak. Since they had been preparing for today, she learned to trust Veronica's judgement. "Yes."

"How many _times_ did you engage in sexual intercourse with this wizard?"

"Three." She whispered as her hands gripped the edge of the chair's arm rest. The chains clinked and rattled in excitement.

"Please speak up Miss Granger." The barrister taunted.

"Three." She spoke clearly and looked squarely into Rolfe's good eye. His jaw firmly clenched. Gordon looked mightily pleased with himself as if the cat had got the cream.

"My goodness Miss Granger. Three times on only two dates. Who initiated the first time? Was it him or you?"

A fire of loathing burned through her for both men. "Me." She said through gritted teeth.

"So your Honours, based on Miss Granger's previous interactions with other wizards. Is it not fair to say that my client's testimony to be in line with Miss Granger's historical behaviour?"

The indignation that he would use her past against her like so. Her body tingled with a hatred she had for someone so unprincipled.

"Your honours, I have no further questions." The self-satisfied barrister said before he sat down next to his equally despicable client.

* * *

All the kind reviews and rally support were little gems of delight which I have read and re-read when I needed to encouragement. Thank you CatPeach, Puasloma, ZoeyOlivia, Cleardiamond7 and all the guest reviewers.

Thank you Tridogmom for being my beta, making edits and being a friendly ear.


	15. Support and Statement

**Chapter 15**

 **Support and Statement**

If the ground underneath the cold iron chair could devour Hermione so she can no longer feel the mortification and her vulnerability, she wished it could. The witch closed her eyes and breathed in deep, shaky breaths and her body trembled from the toil of interrogation. She hoped, no prayed, the interrogators believed the conviction of her testimony. Rolfe Shepherds and his despicable barrister would get no satisfaction from her discomfort.

In the small moment of rest in the trial, Veronica stood to address the court.

"Your Honours, I would like to present a character witness for Miss Granger."

This unexpectedly surprised Hermione. The Interrogators nodded, and the court scribe opened the heavy iron-clad door. Hermione twisted to look behind her. A cold breeze blew in. It was enough to chill Hermione, or perhaps it was the man who walked in.

Draco Malfoy strode in rigidly; his focus was straight towards the Interrogators. Hermione could hardly believe he was here. She forgot how meticulously groomed he was, not a strand of platinum blonde hair out of place and his tailored robes were perfectly pressed.

"State your name and your relationship with Miss Granger." Bailey commanded.

"I am Draco Lucius Malfoy. Miss Granger and I dated this summer." His voice was clear and certain. This was nothing like how she imagined he would appear. What did she imagine would happen? Perhaps she dared not imagine him to come forth so bravely. It struck her as an unbelievable situation.

"Could you elaborate on the extent of your romantic relationship?" Robards asked.

"We went on two dates." Draco answered unflinchingly.

"Did you see each other afterwards?" Robards continued to question.

"Yes, we worked together on the launch of the National Trust for Magical Creatures until a few weeks ago." Hermione wished he would look in her direction, but he only had eyes on the Interrogators.

"Why did you stop?" Robards probed.

"As a president of the company, I delegated all the other work to my subordinates and saw no need for my personal involvement in the project." The Interrogators nodded with his frankness.

"Would either legal representatives like to ask any further questions?" Bailey offered and Wetters-Tink jumped at the opportunity with gleaming delight. The portly man strode towards Draco with his arms behind him, his chest puffed up like an intimidated cock. The platinum blonde man was unfazed, only to smirk in retaliation.

"How intimate was your relationship with Miss Granger?" Wetters-Tink asked.

"We were very intimate." Draco answered straightforwardly.

"Mr. Shepherds described Miss Granger's sexual desires graphically in a published newspaper. Why weren't you public about yours with her?" Wetters-Tink ribbed.

"Because I respect her right to a private life." With his hands behind his back, only Hermione could see how his hands clenched and unclenched, while the rest of him looked calm to others.

"Or were you ashamed of it? Known former Death Eater with a renowned war heroine? What would the public say?" The plump barrister jabbed.

"Objection to the question as leading." Veronica defended. Bailey waved one of his bony hands to dismiss Wetters-Tink's question.

"Fine. Mr. Malfoy, how many dates did you go on with Miss Granger?" He asked simply.

"Two."

"That's not many dates to get to know someone. How can you be so sure, you know her well?" Gordon's face was contorted into a wrinkled frown.

"I have known Miss Granger since we were 11 years old. In all my interactions, she has consistently stood up for the moral truth and justice. I firmly believe she is completely incapable of true cruelty to any human being or creature."

"Weren't you two enemies during your school years, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco remained as passive as ever. Hermione wondered if he is using his training in occlumency.

"I had behaved disdainfully towards Miss Granger during my school years, that much is true. However even while I had thrown insults at her or towards her friends, she always stood up to me. Since then I have learnt the errors of my ways."

Even with the long sleeves of her robes, Hermione felt the goosepimples on her arms as his admiration brought about a wave of tingles.

"So, you two weren't ever intimate or dating whilst working together?" Gordon Wetters-Tink enquired.

"Miss Granger requested for professionalism after the meeting which confirmed we would be working together. I fully respected her wishes, and unlike Mr. Shepherds, I did not pursue it any further." Draco's nonchalance slipped as Rolfe's name dripped from his lips with a passionate hatred. Hermione was taken aback by the intensity of it, having no clue he felt this way.

"Mr. Malfoy, why are you here to testify to Miss Granger's character?" Wetters-Tink asked suspiciously.

"As I have said before. I have a lot of respect for Miss Granger. She is forthright about what she wants or doesn't want and there is never any doubt about her wishes. It is therefore my moral obligation to ally myself with the truth."

Gordon Wetters-Tink stepped between the Interrogators and Draco to glare up at him who seemed unbothered by the intimidation and the barrister huffed before he stepped back to face the Interrogators.

"Your Honours, I have no other questions." The self-important barrister sat back down, next to his stiffly hunched client.

Veronica stood beside Draco, ready to ask him her questions. "Mr. Shepherds has said in public, I quote 'she wanted to draw blood in the act'. Did Miss Granger ever indicate any inclinations for that sort of behavior?"

"No, she did not." He replied bluntly.

"Mr. Shepherds has also claimed, I quote 'Hermione told me she really liked BDSM and would like to tie me down to hex my balls and whip me'. Did Miss Granger ever indicate she had any interest in BDSM to you?"

"No, she did not." If it were not for the slight flinching of his jaw, Hermione would of thought Draco was unaffected by the questions asked of him.

"Did Miss Granger ever come across as, I quote from Mr. Shepherds, 'a famous witch who hid her debauchery'?"

"Absolutely not. Miss Granger has always been the bright, caring and far from depraved."

"Would you go as far to say that Mr. Shepherds account of Miss Granger is false?"

"Your Honours, Miss Hale is leading the witness with her question. I demand she retract her last statement." Gordon Wetters-Tink's lips blubbered his protestations, which Bailey agreed to. Veronica did not seem fazed by it.

"That's fine your Honours. Mr. Malfoy, how much of Mr. Shepherds account of Miss Granger is accurate?"

"Nothing at all. Every word he said about her is false and slandering of her good character."

Veronica turned to the Interrogators, satisfied with his answers. "Your Honours, I too have no further questions." She returned to her bench.

"Mr. Malfoy, do you have anything else you would like to add?" Tiberius Bailey asked.

Draco turned his head and finally allowed himself to look into her face. Hermione momentarily forgot how to breathe. His once stoic face softened, and his lips turned upwards into the gentlest smile. Without turning away from her gaze, he spoke.

"There's no higher respect and affection for any witch or wizard in the world than the respect and admiration I have for Miss Hermione Granger."

His words crashed into Hermione like a giant wave, she tumbled and fell into the ripples of emotion. She straightened her back and gasped for air. Finally, she knew the truth. He loved her. And she irrevocably loved Draco Malfoy too.


	16. Confessions and Conclusions

**Chapter 16**

 **Confessions and Conclusions**

"Miss Granger you may be seated at your bench now." Tiberius commanded.

Draco had already left the courtroom as soon as his testimony was over and did not give her a second glance when he was dismissed. There were a million things she wished to say to him. She wanted to chide him for taking what felt like a lifetime to realise how much she meant to him. She also wanted to punch him for distracting her from her trial. But most of all she wanted to run up to him and kiss him hard.

Walking back from the interrogation chair, Hermione sat down on the bench next to Veronica who took hold of her hand in comfort. Adrenaline still pumped through her veins, over powering the hushed whispers that filled the courtroom.

"You did really well." Veronica whispered to her as they glared across the circular courtroom where the foul Gordon Wetters-Tink whispered and winked to his abominable client.

"Do your worst." Hermione encouraged Veronica.

"I fully intend to." It was the reassurance Hermione needed. There was no better ally next to her than Veronica Hale.

"Mr. Rolfe Marcus Shepherds, please sit in the interrogation chair." Commanded Tiberius Bailey.

Rolfe strode confidently towards the chair and the chains clinked as they wrapped themselves around his broad shoulders and over his wrists. Hermione was surprised by her own sense of satisfaction to see him bound by chains, yet was unnerved by his calm composure. Pondering over his behaviour since his arrival, she realized the man had barely spoken a word since his arrival and hadn't flinched when the chains moved to hold him down.

"You are charged with attempted rape and following the assault, defamation of personal reputation and character, which constitutes an offence under paragraph B of the Sexual Offences Act, 1999 and under section 8 of the English Defamation Law, 1627. How do you plea?" The old Bailey read.

"Not guilty." Rolfe's voice rang crystal clear in the cold court room.

There was a fear Hermione never knew she had, a fear that he would deny the truth. It gripped her so tight that it threatened to suffocate her and forced her eyes to twitch with a pulsating anxiety.

"Mr. Shepherds tell us what happened on the night in question." Head of Magical Law Enforcement, Robards asked.

"I met Miss Granger in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic on Friday at 6 o'clock. Where I took her to the Juniper, a cocktail bar on Diagon Alley via Floo. I bought drinks for us and we talked." His voice was composed and his good eye focused firmly on the interrogators.

"I thought everything went pretty normal when she suddenly held my hand and told me we needed to go home. I escorted her out and took her to my apartment."

"What happened at your apartment Mr. Shepherds?" Robards enquired.

"She pulled me down on top of her and I assumed she wanted to be intimate." Hermione's hands clenched. The urge to walk up to Rolfe and punch the truth out of him was almost uncontrollable. "Then out of nowhere, she stabbed me in the eye with her wand." He finished.

"Did Miss Granger give any indication she had her wand on her?" Tiberius Bailey interjected.

"No. I was quite… occupied." Rolfe shifted his neck and shoulders, apparently uncomfortable. "I tried to get away from Miss Granger and ran to my bathroom, when I heard a crack of Apparition. She was gone."

"What happened after she left?" Robards questioned, the Interrogator leant in with curiosity.

"I went to St Mungo's hospital by Floo to be seen by a healer. There was blood everywhere so I knew this was a medical emergency."

"Your Honours, we have the medical diagnosis from the healer who treated Mr. Shepherds." Gordon Wetters-Tink interjected and his wand levitated a sealed yellow manila folder towards the Interrogators. "The healer can validate the irreversible damage Miss Granger has done to Mr. Shepherds."

The court scribe took the manila folder and opened it up before he read the report summary to everyone at court in a factual voice.

"The patient in question had a sharp object puncture his left eye, straight through the cornea and through the eyeball. However, an eye replacement is currently an unviable option of treatment due to the optic nerve at the back of the eye socket having been irreversibly damaged with magic and patient will never be able to use his left eye socket. After a full body scan and diagnosis, no other medical issues were found or treated."

"Thank you, Smith. Veronica Hale, as the legal representation of the prosecution, you may ask your questions." Mr. Bailey offered. Hermione felt an odd sense of thrill to see Veronica stride towards the centre of the court. Like a ringmaster at a circus, demanding focus from the trapped beast in the ring.

"Let's get the story straight for everyone in the courtroom. How many drinks did you purchase at the bar on the night in question?" She asked sternly.

"Your honours, Miss Hale is wasting court time when this fact has already been established." Wetters-Tink interrupted. However, Bailey dismissed his objection.

"Did you buy four drinks in total, two drinks for each of you that evening?"

Rolfe confirmed her correct.

"Then Mr. Shepherds, can you tell us what happened between the first and second round of drinks you purchased?"

"I thought the date was going well after our first round and she asked for another. So, I went to the bar to purchase us a second drink each. We continued our conversation when she suddenly grabbed my hand. Hermione told me that she wanted to 'go home now.'"

"Did Miss Granger seem odd to you at that point?" The small barrister tilted her head in curiosity.

"She seemed rather keen."

"How so? Describe her facial expression?"

"Her eyes were wide, and she was leaning in."

"From that description, a person could also be surprised or even scared." Veronica quipped, her words were harsh. Hermione's heart quickened as her barrister fenced around Rolfe, trapping him in his web of lies.

"She was very insistent." Rolfe said unconvincingly, his eyes darted over to his barrister.

"Describe what happened between Miss Granger asking to go home and the Apparition to your apartment."

"I thought I'd be gentlemanly and led her out of the bar. She clung to me tightly."

"Why did you let her 'cling to you' Mr. Shepherds?"

"She seemed unsteady on her feet. Once we were outside, she still held tightly on to me as I performed the Apparition." The chained man explained, as if he had rehearsed this part of the trial many times over.

"You stated in the Daily Prophet that 'she left me with bruises where she hit me.' Could you explain in more detail where these bruises were located?"

His mouth agape as he tried to think of his answer. "I can't remember." Rolfe said quietly.

"You can't remember where they were located, or you can't remember your previous lies?"

"Your Honours. Miss Vale is leading my client." Gordon Wetters-Tink objected, his face shiny with sweat. Hermione's exhilaration climbed further as the greasy man postured while his client floundered under Veronica's interrogative grip.

"I shall ask another question. When did Miss Granger hit you?"

"She hit me when we arrived at my apartment."

"Exactly when? Before you both laid down on the sofa?"

"Yes."

"Where did she hit you?"

"On my arm."

"Really Mr. Shepherds." Sounding surprised, Veronica elaborated. "How did she hit you?"

"She punched me."

"But you said she was unsteady on her feet at the bar, how could a person hold a stance and punch you hard enough to leave a bruise if they were unsteady not moments before?" Veronica reasoned.

"Well, um."

"And you stated before you went to St. Mungo's after she left, yet the examination summary your barrister submitted as evidence stated that, beyond the injury to your eye, you had no other medical issues."

"Yes, well…"

The courtroom was quiet as words failed the nut-brown haired man in chains.

"Did Miss Granger say anything to you during her time at your apartment?"

"No."

"Then when did Miss Granger, I quote 'demanded for rough sex'?"

"She said it with her body." Rolfe responded.

"So, you assumed her body language communicated that she wanted rough sex?"

His Adam's apple trembled, and the chains rattled as Rolfe considered his answer.

"Yes."

"So why did you tell one of the country's most prominent journalist that Miss Granger had – I quote 'demanded for rough sex' and 'beat and punched me so hard that she left me with bruises'?" Veronica tight lips stretched into what could be perceived as a smile. "Please explain to the court Mr. Shepherds."

High anticipation hung in the air as everyone waited for Rolfe to respond. Hermione fought the urge to laugh at this man, who had truly found himself stuck in a maze of his own creation that he could not escape from. His mouth opened to speak. Then closed with a clenched jaw.

"We don't have all day Mr. Shepherds." Interrogator Bailey urged over his gold square-rimmed glasses.

"I can't remember." His pathetic excuse made Hermione feel smug.

"Your Honours, at present I don't have any other questions for Mr. Shepherds." Veronica gave Hermione a reassuring smile. "I would like to bring in two witnesses who were at the bar on the night in question." The interrogators nodded, and the scribe opened the door of the courtroom.

A heavily tattooed man who wore a monocle and a woman in her late thirties strode in. Her bottle blonde hair was up in a tight bun and large gold earrings hung from her earlobes. Her makeup was done to make every facial feature look overly defined.

"This is Abe Sinthe, the bartender on duty that evening and Daisy Peers, a customer at the same time of the event." Veronica introduced.

"I'd like to question Miss Peers first." Bailey commanded, and Miss Peers stood next to Rolfe Shepherds in the chair. While the bartender sat down on a bench. "Miss Peers, please tell me why you were at the bar that evening?" He asked with curiosity.

"Ye' I was der, like wid' my girlies. Fridays our nigh' out innit? Then Rolfe Shepher's came in an' my girlfriend was like "Oh my days! He's dat hot quidditch playur from New Zeeland!" Daisy Peers animatedly explained, her eyes kept glancing over to the chained man.

"Miss Peers. Could you please not get side-tracked." An annoyed Bailey said.

"Anyway, ee was der wid her." The witch's cockney accent was so thick, it made Hermione inwardly groan in disappointment. Surely this wasn't her best witness!

"Could you verify it was Miss Granger that he was with?"

"Ye. Ee was wid Miss Grangur, like dey were on a date. Holdin' hands an' stuff."

"Did anything about their behaviour seem odd at the time?" Veronica Hale asked.

Daisy Peers played with her one of her long gold necklaces as she thought of her answer.

"At some point, 'ermi-nee screamed, like _really_ loudly. Made me jump out of my skin innit! My girls and I looked over and like, der dey were laughin' der heads off!"

"Did you see what startled Miss Granger?" Veronica asked.

"Like I said right? I was chattin' 'bout the refurb at my 'ouse. The kitchen's gettin' -"

"Miss Peers! Please focus on the key points at hand!" An exasperated Bailey interrupted.

Daisy Peers raised her highly arched eyebrow further than they were already drawn.

"As I was saying before _rudely_ interrupted. I was tellin' my story so I saw nuthink." The blonde witch paused as she thought over what she said. "Ye but my girlfriend Whitney, she told me she saw Rolfe Shepherds bought two of dem bell jar cocktails. Ye? Dey are enchanted smoke with aroma an' stuff right? So probs got scared shitless from one of dem."

"What else did you observe during the time Mr. Shepherds and Miss Granger were at the bar?" It seemed like Tiberius Bailey was getting a headache from the examination.

"Well den. We love celebrity spotting right. So we'd glance over now and again. Dey had another drink, not one of dem bell jar ones but da classy cocktail glass ones right? Den I saw Hermione Granger clinging onto Rolfe Shepherds as dey walked out."

"Did you see them outside the bar?" He probed.

"Nah. Dey Disapparated quickly right." Hermione's hopes dwindled even further, far from helping her case. This witch has pretty much helped Rolfe in getting away.

"Thank you, Miss Peers. Does either representation have any other questions?"

"No, your Honour." Gordon Wetters-Tink said, his blotched face had transformed from concern to self-satisfied.

"I have one question for Miss Peers, if you may." Veronica tilted her head as she stared at the blond witch. "How many drinks did you have by the time Mr. Shepherds and Miss Granger went into the bar?"

"It's 'appy hour from four til six. So, five."

"Would you say you were sober when they were in the bar?"

"Oh no. I was 'ammered." Daisy confessed with cockney frankness.

Veronica relaxed into a rare grin as she turned to the interrogators. "Your Honours, let it be known that this witness confessed to be inebriated during the event and therefore her testimony should be deemed as questionable."

The interrogators nodded, and Zacharias scribbled the correction. Hermione released the breath that she didn't know she was holding in.

"Miss Peers, you may sit down." Dismissed by the old Bailey and the blonde sat down on the bench, who gave a sympathetic smile at Rolfe Shepherds before she left his side.

"Mr. Abe Sinthe, please come forward." Tiberius Bailey commanded. The man with the monocle stood up and fidgeted with it.

"Now Mr. Sinthe," Bailey squinted at the bartender with his cloudy eyes. "Tell us why you were at the bar."

"It was my shift for the night." The bartender replied gruffly.

"Would one say you're an experienced bartender?" Enquired the interrogator.

"Pretty much yes, 15 years this year. I use my herbology background to elevate my craft." Abe Sinthe peered confidently through his monocle.

"Could you describe what you had witnessed during that night which involved Mr. Shepherds and Miss Granger."

"They came in around six, which was just after happy hour. They sat down at the back and Rolfe Shepherds ordered two of our specialties. They are cocktails encased in a bell jar which also hold charmed smoke for theatricality. When the drinker lifts the bell jar, the smoke is enchanted to surprise them."

"Did you see how Miss Granger reacted to the drinks?" Auror Robarts asked curiously.

"Yes, she was so surprised by one called 'The Hunter' that she screamed."

"Why would a person be startled by a cocktail?" Robarts enquired as he frowned at the bartender.

"Once the smoke in that bell jar is released, it creates a small cloud in front of the drinker. Then without warning, a wolf jumps through the smoke and howls."

"In her earlier testimony, Miss Peers stated that she heard a scream. Do you think it was the same one that you witnessed?"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure. It's a very common reaction to that particular cocktail." The bartender stated clearly.

"What happened afterwards?" Tiberius Bailey probed.

"They were having a conversation whilst I served other customers. To be honest, I didn't keep my eye on them because our drinks are complicated and require focus. Not long after their first drink, Rolfe Shepherds walked back to the bar to order a second round for them."

"Did he order the same drinks?" Robards, the head of magical law enforcement asked.

"No, he ordered two fruity cocktails, called Meadow Mist. It's a peach-based drink."

"Mr. Sinthe," Veronica asked as she stood up. "Did you have the drinks you were making in your sight at all times?"

The bartender adjusted his monocle as he thought of his answer. "Actually, I did run out of Crème de Cassis, so I did have to go down to the cellar to collect another bottle. I was gone for maybe a few minutes."

"Would someone have enough time to tamper with the drinks while you were gone?" Her barrister enquired further.

"Yes, it would have been possible." Abe Sinthe confirmed.

With a wave of her hand, Veronica made three small vials appear in front of everyone. "Would Mr. Sinthe please smell this first vial." The cork on the first vial popped open and hovered in front of the bartender. He adjusted his monocle as he examined the liquid within before giving a tentative sniff.

"That's peach extract." He announced.

"You are right in saying so Mr. Sinthe. Would you be able to tell us all what you smell in the second vial?"

The bartender more willingly leant into the second vial and his thick brows furrowed together.

"That can't be what I think it is."

"What do you think it is Mr. Sinthe?"

"I think it's Persephone's Bloom." Abe answered hesitantly.

"You are correct Mr. Sinthe." Veronica smiled at him encouragingly. "Do you know what the properties of Persephone's Bloom are?"

"It's a member of the Nightshade family, in large quantities can kill but even in small quantities can render a person incapacitated of all their senses."

"Your honour, I fail to see how Miss Hale's mystery game is pertinent to this trial." Rolfe's barrister argued. Hermione could see how the man looked worried now. His large hands were carefully folded in front of his lap, but his knuckles were white from clenching.

"Miss Hale, what relevance do these vials have to this trial?" Tiberius Bailey asked as he pushed up his gold square-rimmed glasses up his nose.

"I am just about to establish the connection. Would Mr. Sinthe tell us all what he can smell in the third vial?"

The tattooed bartender dutifully sniffed the third vial. His lips trembled with doubt and he sniffed the vial for one last measure.

"It's peach extract again." He claimed.

"Your honour, Miss Hale is wasting time here!" protested the ruddy-faced barrister. His rage glowed on his face.

"Mr. Gordon Wetters-Tink, please don't interrupt me, I stated I am establishing the connection." Veronica retorted back to the plump man. Even though she was more petite than him, she had still managed to make him recoil from her disciplinary stance.

"Thank you Mr. Sinthe. You may sit down, and you were correct that there was peach extract in the third vial. But he had also failed to detect the smell of Persephone's Bloom. Which can easily be disguised by scents from the Prunus family of fruits, including peaches."

Hermione's admiration for her supportive barrister grew as Veronica had not only successfully gave the vile man a proper dressing down but could also deliver her solid argument. With a deft swish of her wand, the stern barrister made a report appear in front of the interrogators.

"This is the St Mungo's blood test report for Hermione Granger, which examined her blood sample from that evening. Would the court scribe read the report synopsis?" She suggested.

Zacharias Smith took the report and read out the synopsis in a clear voice. "Blood sample shows alcohol present, but at moderate levels. Not significant enough to cause concern for patient's health. A significant amount of a chemical compound commonly known to be derived from plants of the Nightshade family was also found. Due to the significant amount found in this sample, I would hypothesize that, either the patient had consumed more raw potatoes in one sitting than possible for their body size, or was poisoned with a deadlier variety, such as Persephone's Bloom." The Court Scribe vanished the report and resumed his transcribing.

"With the evidence of the blood report and Mr. Abe Sinthe's demonstration that it's hard to detect Persephone's Bloom in a particular scented drink, perhaps Rolfe Shepherds poisoned Miss Granger that evening?" Veronica's lips pursed together into a tight line as she glared at the defendant who has chosen to be silent.

"Your Honours. Miss Hale has made a wild accusation of my client, with hypothetical evidence."

"I will respect Mr. Gordon Wetters-Tink's objection. But answer me this Mr. Shepherds, and answer truthfully for once. Did you or did you not poison Miss Granger at the bar and Apparate the both of you to your flat with intent to sexually assault her?"

"Rolfe! You don't have to…"

"I did." He confessed quietly yet it rang true and clear through the courtroom.

"Did you or did you not give an interview to Rita Skeeter with intent to defame Miss Granger's reputation as a witch of high regard in Britain?"

"I did." He confessed and Gordon Wetters-Tink looked purple with astonishment. Veronica's tightly pressed lips curved slightly into a smile.

Hermione felt weightless and enormous relief. There she sat frozen in shock and overwhelmed by it all. Her ears rang with the swirling of blood and could hardly process the sentencing the interrogators gave to the broad man, her once perpetrator. Now he crumbled in the iron chair, propped up only by the chains that held him.

There was a lot of commotion, as Aurors flanked the man and took him away. Rolfe's legs buckled under him and streams of tears fell down his face. While his barrister, tomato-faced, furiously argued with the Interrogators at the front of the courtroom.

Veronica clasped Hermione on the shoulder, to bring her out of her reverie.

"Let's go."

Wordlessly her ally guided her out of the courtroom and into the drafty corridors.

* * *

AN: Thank you for all the incredible reviews. You have made me beam from ear to ear, squeal and burst with joy.

This story is almost over with a few more chapters left. I'll try my best to get you another update soon.

Special thanks to Tridogmom for being my awesome beta.


	17. Milestones and Mobilisation

AN: Thank you for all the supportive and fabulous reviews. I'm so grateful for your love and encouragement. This story is coming to an end soon and the journey of creation has been an emotional ride. I had moments of doubt but the divine powers brought Tridogmom into my life. Thank you for being my beta.

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

 **Milestones and Mobilisation**

Mr. Wetters-Tink's booming yells were replaced by a high-pitched wail as Rolfe's silent tears turned into an anguished cry, following the two women like a ghost down the basement corridor. Veronica guided Hermione up the stairs to the Department of Mysteries and into the Ministry's lift and his tormented guilt slowly faded from her ears like a distant siren

"Ninth floor." The musical lift voice chimed. Except for the hum of the lift working, the two women stood in silence as they rode to the higher levels. Turning to look at her barrister, Hermione noticed that the normally stoic woman was cheery.

"Thank you, for everything." She finally spoke.

Veronica took Hermione's hand and nodded."You are a brave one Hermione. Not many women, in this world or the Muggle world, would have done what you did. It was my honour to represent you in court."

Not able to hold back the tears that lay captive any longer, Hermione embraced Veronica in a full hug of gratitude and sobbed.

"Fifth floor." The lift chimed as the doors opened. The two women released each other as their bonding moment come to an abrupt end. Hermione noted how even Veronica's usually steely eyes were glassy, visible proof that her fabulously firm and powerful ally contained a soft heart underneath.

"Your friends are waiting for you in your office. Let's take a moment to celebrate the good news with them before we go down and face the public." Hermione nodded in agreement and walked the familiar path to the old stationery cupboard that had been transformed into her most recent office.

"We did it!" Veronica announced with great fanfare, and the room broke out with celebratory cheers. Mrs. Khan who was nearest, pulled Hermione into a matronly hug.

"Morgana blessed you with justice today!"

"What did the bastard get sentenced with?" George Weasley shouted from the back corner. He must had closed the shop for this occasion because it was the middle of the work day.

"Umm-" Hermione wasn't actually sure what the sentence was, she was too preoccupied with the relief that it was finally over and he had confessed to pay attention to what happened after.

Veronica was able to answer, "He was sentenced to one year in Azkaban and two years probation."

"Bloody hell! Is that all?!" Ron raged. "Fucking prick should be locked up for life!"

"Ronald! Mind your language!" Molly swiped her hand against the back of Ron's head to reprimand him.

Eventually everyone got round to embrace Hermione and more tears were shed. She wasn't sure where to hug Artemis, who still wore the charmed robes covered in bloody handprints. Hermione wasn't sure how she felt about embracing her colleague while she was wearing them, but the problem was solved when her colleague simply pulled her in for a visceral grip.

"We couldn't believe what the papers were saying about you." Artemis held on to her hand as she told her what her team had done on her behalf while she was out of the office. "It was Justin's idea to organise a protest and I spoke to other women who sent all those letters of support. I know you didn't get to read them because your post was stopped, but they were from the women that were downstairs today. They all came and Mrs. Khan came up with this nifty charm."

Finally, waiting last to speak to her was Harry. His unkempt hair was even more ruffled than usual. He had kept quiet but that wasn't out of character for him. In all the years she had known him, he very much internalised everything.

"Oh Harry! Thank you! I don't know how I can ever repay you!" She cried as she wrapped her arms around him.

"It's alright Hermione. I don't know much about brothers but isn't standing up for their sisters what they do?" She smiled as her chest filled with familial love. Yes indeed, they were siblings.

Overwhelmed by all the goodwill and support, Hermione wasn't sure how to address all her friends and magical family.

"I'd say it's time we popped back to the Burrow for a celebration!" Arthur chirped.

"Actually, before we go, we need to address the elephant in the room. Well it's more of a herd in the Atrium, But you get my meaning." Veronica pulled out a roll of parchment from her briefcase and passed it to Hermione to open.

Hermione glanced at the paper in her hand. It appeared to be a speech, but many areas were left blank. She glanced at Veronica for clarification.

"I wrote this a while ago and you can use it to address the terrible crowd of journalists in the Atrium." Her barrister explained.

"How about we head to the Burrow and set up a spot of lunch while you do that Hermione dear" Molly explained as she began to usher her family and the other supporters out of the room.

"Are we invited too?" Justin asked Molly sheepishly.

"Why of course dear! Everyone in this blooming room is invited. But perhaps a group of you could pop by the wine shop first to buy some champagne?" She looked around encouragingly.

George, Justin and Arthur volunteered. The once loud room became silent as everyone left and only Veronica and Hermione remained behind.

"Would you like me to help you with your speech?" Veronica offered but Hermione shook her head.

"You've done plenty for me. I think I should work on this myself." Her eyes gazed blankly at the parchment. The words read well but were disconnected from her own feelings.

She understood her feelings of shock and relief. But why did she still felt the glowing embers of rage within her? The bastard had been convicted for what he tried to do to her. So what more was there left to be angry about?

Hermione sat down at her familiar desk and pulled out a quill and ink pot.

"Veronica, may I ask you a question?"

Her dear ally sat down opposite her and poured them two cups of tea.

"What do you want to know?"

"Why do I still feel… angry?"

Veronica pulled her lips into a thin grimace. "That's a very good question. What do you feel angry about?"

"The length of the sentencing. Did the Wizengamot really only sentence him to one year in Azkaban?"

"Yes they did. Unfortunately sentencing for sexual assault under wizarding law is significantly reduced compared to the Muggle criminal court."

"What happens to him after he gets out? Does he go on the sex offender register?"

Veronica shook her head in dismay.

"We can petition to have him registered under the Muggle sex offender register and it will prevent him from getting work in the Muggle world. But we don't have that kind of system in place at the Ministry."

"But that's ridiculous! What if he tries it again? She might not want to pursue him in court. What if," Hermione swallowed hard before she could finish, "what if he actually does rape someone?" It chilled her to think that Rolfe was getting a proverbial slap on the wrist for his misdeeds.

"Hermione, I would like the Wizarding rights to be changed in Britain. Actually, I would like an International Statute of Magical Rights to be set in place by the International Confederation of Wizards!" The usually stern barrister gave a heavy sigh. "With the _right_ momentum, the steps to make real legal change can happen."

It was very clear to her what Veronica meant. This trial could be the catalyst to make those changes happen. It was up to her, Hermione Granger, to continue to build that momentum.

"I think I know what I want to say." Tucking an errant curl behind her ear, her writing hand dipped the quill in the inkpot and began to write in earnest.

* * *

"Eighth floor." The melodic voice of the lift sang, and the doors opened to the Atrium.

"Stand with Hermione! Stand with Hermione! Stand with Hermione!" Chanted the remaining protesters in the Atrium. By this point, very little of the protesters' robes were still white. A sea of crimson splattered witches brought encouragement, and their voices lifted the two women's spirits and carried them with a protective bubble of confidence to the fountain in the centre of the Atrium.

However, the journalists had noticed who arrived and began to hurl questions at them like javelins in a sports game.

"Miss Granger, are you happy Rolfe Shepherds' behind bars?"

"Granger! Are you returning to work tomorrow?"

"Miss Granger, do you have any comments about the three witches in New Zealand who have come forward today and said they too suffered abuse at the hands of Rolfe Shepherds?"

"Sonorus." Veronica cast the spell on herself, taking control of the crowds.

"Miss Granger and I have a statement in response to the Wizengamot proceedings that took place earlier this morning." The crowd of reporters went silent, eagerly waiting to hear more, while normal Ministry employees either wandered past with no interest or stopped to watch the spectacle.

"Today justice has been served to Rolfe Shepherds who has been convicted by the Wizengamot for attempted assault and defamation." A whoop of cheers and applause erupted from the protesters. "He was sentenced to one year in Azkaban, with two years of probation and he has been ordered to pay a twenty thousand galleons settlement to Miss Granger."

The cameras clicked and puffed as Veronica's voice echoed through the great domed room. "Miss Granger, her family, friends, and I thank everyone who supported her in the past few months. For the journalists who have ignored their fundamental principles to report truth and sought to write slanderous accusations against Miss Granger. We will be working to prosecute for defamation."

A few heads in the crowd began to shift away from the Atrium and Hermione suspected the blonde head of Rita Skeeter also knew this was her cue to leave.

"Miss Granger will now speak a few words to everyone. We will not be answering any questions at this time."

Veronica shifted to allow Hermione to move forward and address the crowd. Next to the beautifully restored golden fountain, Hermione decided to stand on the ledge of the fountain for a better view. Clearing her throat, she cast _Sonorus_ on herself before straightening her shoulders.

"Thank you to Veronica Hale, my friends, and the witnesses who came forward to speak the truth. I'm eternally grateful for their support in my greatest time of need. I am overwhelmed by every woman who came out today and showed they believed me."

The females in the blood-splattered robes cheered.

"Rolfe Shepherds was a talented quidditch player, a celebrity, and a dutiful civil servant, but ultimately he was a predator. One who hid behind his status to prey on unsuspecting women. I am sickened, violated by not only his actions, but the system which had enabled him to tarnish all the good that I have done for this community. I am sickened by the authority of the press who empowered his lies and took steps to make my life a living hell. While I have the privilege of good connections, access to money and societal prominence, I want to acknowledge the witches who have remained silent, lack the support to pursue their perpetrator, or have been threatened into silence.

"Since I entered the magical world at the age of eleven, I have worked hard to protect it from those who wish to do it harm. These many weeks have reminded me that not so long ago, Voldemort and his Death Eaters tried to disintegrate our society. My devoted colleagues here at the Ministry are working hard to ensure that future generations know, not of prejudice, but of equality and justice. The past few years, I've dedicated my work here protecting the livelihoods of magical beasts. Yet we have chosen not to protect half of the population in every class and every fabric of society. How come we choose to turn a blind eye to every female in the magical community?

"I have been appalled to learn through this process that there are not any laws or safety mechanism that protect witches from sexual advances or domestic abuse. Take a look around you, the woman next to you may have suffered more atrocities than she may reveal. Or look within yourself and ask yourself 'Do I speak up?'

"I urge the witches today to stop being silent. Come forward and speak up. Justice can be served on your behalf too. Because witches' rights are everyone's rights. Thank you."

The high vaulted dome of the Atrium practically exploded from the resounding roar that erupted from the crowd. Veronica and Hermione held onto each other as they pushed and shuffled their way to the Floo Network's fireplaces, making their way to the celebration at the Burrow.

* * *

They arrive at the Burrow through the fireplace to find everybody was already there. The Burrow hummed and bustled with activity. While the morning was cool, the sun was peeking through the grey clouds and basked the Burrow in a warm glow. A large table was set in the garden, blue fires on posts were lit as an extra measure to ensure they were all toasty.

Molly didn't disappoint with a generous spread of salads, cold meats, cheese, and potatoes. Fresh warm bread was piled high in a wicker basket, ready to be slathered with soft butter. Ginny and Harry were busy conjuring enough chairs for everyone. George and Ron were lugging crates of champagne and Hermione wondered who paid for them. She made a note to find out and slip a couple of galleons for them. Justin and Artemis were busy helping to set the table, and Mrs. Khan was put to work in Molly's kitchen as a second pair of expert hands. Arthur, Bill, and Fleur helped with ferrying all the food from the kitchen onto the table, for nobody trusted Ron to carry food to the table.

"Mrs. Weasley, can Hermione and I help at all?" Veronica asked as she carefully placed her briefcase near the overloaded coat rack and shrugged off her Wizengamot outer robes. Molly shook her head. "Absolutely not! Both of you are to relax and do nothing laborious." She said as she quickly mixed freshly whipped mayonnaise into the fluffy boiled new potatoes.

"They can help with pouring champagne," George suggested as he chilled the last few bottles. It was the only job Molly agreed to and Hermione found herself trying to not hit anyone with a flying cork and pouring the bubbly elixir into flutes.

Eventually, the food was set and they all dug in. The toasts and speeches were at first straight-laced but as more champagne slipped down the party's throats, the more they became emotional again. Hermione could definitely feel her cheeks grow warm from their words and the heat of the alcohol and excused herself to the bathroom.

She splashed some cold water on her flushed face and instead of heading back to the garden, she went to the front door and plopped herself down on a felled log next to the chicken coop.

One could hardly hear the festivities in the back garden over the sound of the hens as they scratched and clucked about their business. The sun warmed her face in a comforting glow. The overgrown hedgerow rustled in the wind. Everything else was quiet and Hermione found the most blissful moment to just think.

It had been a while since Hermione had felt like she could reevaluate her future and next steps. So absorbed had she been in her traumatic time and trial, the future was uncertain. Does she return to work as normal? Or perhaps she could do more? The prospect of returning to the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Care of Magical Creatures didn't quite appeal.

What other things could she do? _Take a break_. A small voice in her head whispered and the idea took seed and rooted itself in her mind. What would she do on a break? Come to think of it, the last break she could remember taking was the last holiday she had with her parents before she obliviated them. When was that? Summer before Third Year? She had taken statutory holiday days off work, but only to work on pet projects undisturbed or those short days between Christmas and New Year's. Perhaps this is the perfect opportunity to take a step back and decide.

The gravel crunched behind her and she whipped around to see Harry approach. His hands were in his jeans pockets and he wordlessly sat beside her on the log.

"I think I'm going to take a holiday, Harry." She stated.

"Sounds good. Where?"

"I'm not sure. But I think tomorrow I'll do my research on places to go. Then I can plan a nice reading list." Harry barely suppressed his snicker. "Fun reading of course!" She insisted.

"What do you want to do on this holiday, apart from reading?"

She contemplated his question. "Perhaps go for nice peaceful walks."

"Who do you want to invite with you?" She knew what it meant, did she need company to stop being alone? Frankly, she wanted to go alone.

"I think this holiday is just for me. I don't want anyone to know where I've gone, no boss trying to chase me over a work issue, no journalists to report on my activities, and nobody to recognise me." Harry nodded in understanding.

"Well when you decide, why don't you make one of us your secret keeper? So at least if you're gone for longer than planned, we can raise any alarms." She nodded in agreement, it would ensure those who cared about her to feel at ease.

"Did you speak to Malfoy at all in court?" It jolted Hermione. How did Harry know? She wondered if he found out from his position as an Auror but that couldn't be the case.

"Were you spying on me?" She accused him. He shrugged.

"I accidentally overheard one of your conversations with Veronica Hale at my house." She glared at him and wanted to elbow him.

"You really do have a terrible habit of eavesdropping Harry." She scolded him and realised her tone sounded awfully like Professor McGonagall which brought a small smile on their faces."But no, we didn't speak at all. He barely looked at me." Hermione confessed and her heart sank a little. In the heat of the moment during the trial, did she conjure up meaning in his words? Did he love her as she now knew she loved him? She wasn't so sure now.

"You know I don't mind if you decide to see him again." Hermione looked at her best friend curiously as he picked at a stray thread in his shirt.

"Harry Potter, nemesis of Draco Malfoy, are you suggesting that you like the man?" His green eyes looked at her and grimaced.

"I'm not saying that I like the bloke, I'm just saying that you should be with whoever makes you happy." His hand ruffled his untidy hair. "I mean, I understand if you want a break from men after all you have gone through. But when you decide to have a relationship, you shouldn't have to worry about what I, or any of us, think of the bloke; as long as they treat you well. You know?"

Hermione's heart swelled with love and her arms wrapped around her best friend in an awkward side hug.

"Thanks Harry." She let him go and the gentle breeze across the front yard brought about a chill. "Let's get back to the party. I could do with another glass of champagne." Harry grinned and led them back to the garden.


End file.
